A Clean Slate
by Author-chan
Summary: Thanks to an evil silver bracelet, Inuyasha has been turned into a helpless human child with no memories of his past! He ends up meeting new friends and foes. How will Inu-chan survive? And how will Kagome cope? (Finally Updated)
1. Naraku's Plan

Author-chan's notes: **OHAYO, MINNA-SAN!!!! **I'm out with another Inu fic! I hope you enjoy it!

*Disclaimer- Sadly, I don't own Inuyasha. *cries*

A Clean Slate

(Chapter One: Naraku's Plan)

Somewhere in the forest with Inuyasha and Co.

"Where is that stupid shard already?!" Inuyasha growled in frustration. The group had been wandering about the woods, looking for a shard that was rumored to be in the possession of an oni. So far, Kagome hadn't felt any shards nearby, and none of group had seen an oni or even a youkai yet.

"Calm down, Inuyasha, I'm sure we will find one soon," Miroku soothed.

"Shut up, bouzu!" Inuyasha growled.

"Just leave him alone, Miroku," Sango sighed, "He's in a bad mood today."

"He's _always _in a bad mood," Shippo piped up.

"Shut up, fox!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Sit!" Kagome ordered.

****

*THUD!* Inuyasha slammed into the ground.

"What the hell was that for, wench?!" Inuyasha snarled, peeling himself off the ground. Kagome glared at him.

"For being a jerk!" Kagome retorted, "Don't make _your_ bad day _my_ bad day, or I'll make your bad day _worse_!"

"Wench!" Inuyasha snarled, but he fell silent after that.

"Stubborn dog!" Kagome muttered. Then suddenly her head jerked up as she felt something familiar.

"Hey guys?" Kagome began, drawing the others' attention.

"What?" Inuyasha snarled crankily.

"I can feel a Shikon shard nearby. Not just one, but several," Kagome said as she looked around, trying to pinpoint the shards' exact location, "That oni that has them must be nearby!"

"Get ready," Miroku advised as he gripped his staff harder.

"Always am," Sango said as she unhooked the Hiraikotsu from her back.

"Have you pinpointed the location of those shards yet, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"I almost have it. Wait! There they are! Up in that tree!" Kagome cried, pointing at a nearby tree.

"Show yourself!" Miroku ordered, glaring at the branches of the tree.

"As you wish, houshi-sama!" a familiar voice called back. Something jumped down from the concealing branches of the tree to land in front of the group. 

"Naraku!" the group gasped, recognizing the familiar baboon pelt. Naraku gave a sinister chuckle.

"Yes it is I," Naraku cackled. (AN: Makes him sound like a witch, ne?)

"What are you doing here, Naraku?!" Inuyasha demanded. Naraku smiled evilly. (AN: Of course they can't see his smile 'cause he's wearing that stupid baboon pelt that covers up not only his body, but his whole face too!)

"I've come to give you something, Inuyasha," Naraku cried, charging at the hanyou. Before Inuyasha could even pull out the Tetsusaiga, Naraku pinned him to the ground and transported both of them far away from the others. 

"NO!!!! Bring him back Naraku!!!" Kagome cried as soon as they both disappeared, "BRING HIM BAAAAAACK!!!"

***

Somewhere else in the forest with Inuyasha and Naraku

The two demons landed in a heap somewhere else in the forest. Both were a little bit dazed, but Naraku recovered first, and he kneed Inuyasha neatly in the stomach. Before Inuyasha could recover from Naraku's attack, Naraku slapped something on Inuyasha's wrist.

"What the hell is this?!" Inuyasha cried, staring at the silver bracelet attached to his arm. The bracelet was two inches wide with intricate engravings all around it. The bracelet was too tight to be slipped off, but not too tight as to cut of Inuyasha's blood circulation. The bracelet had no visible clasp.

"It's just a little trinket I made," Naraku said, "It has quite a few interesting features. First, it seals off your demon blood, making you completely human."

"What?!" Inuyasha cried, his eyes widening. Suddenly the bracelet began to glow, and Inuyasha felt a familiar tingle go throughout his body. A tingle he felt only during the new moon…

"Ah, I'm so glad that it works!" Naraku said with a cruel smile as he watched Inuyasha become human.

"Damn you, Naraku!" Inuyasha yelled, as he tried to charge at Naraku despite the fact that he was weaker in his human form. The bracelet glowed again, and it began to emit electric sparks that shocked Inuyasha. He fell to the ground on all fours. The half-demon turned full human almost passed out from the pain.

"Hope that didn't hurt _too_ much, Inuyasha," Naraku said with sarcasm, "With that human body of yours, I'm surprised that you are even conscious. That's another little feature of my toy; it can spit lightning at you if you try to attack me."

"Damn you!" Inuyasha spat, breathing heavily.

"I have a question for you Inuyasha," Naraku began, "Did you like your childhood?"

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Inuyasha growled, still crouching on the ground. Then his eyes widened in shock, "What the hell happened to my voice?! I sound like a little kid!!!" Inuyasha looked down at his hands. They had become small and slightly chubby.

"What the hell?!" Inuyasha screeched. 

"Such strong language for a child, Inuyasha," Naraku said with a chuckle. For in front of Naraku was no longer a grown hanyou, but a five-year-old human child. (AN: Inuyasha must look _so_ KAWAII!!!!)

"Did anyone ever tell you that you should be damned to the darkest hell?" Inuyasha snarled in his new childish voice.

"And did anyone ever tell you that you look cute as a child?" Naraku said with a smirk.

"So what else can this stupid thing do?" Inuyasha hissed, still trying to maintain whatever dignity he had left, even though Naraku had the advantage over him. 

"Ah! The last feature is my favorite," Naraku said with a very evil grin, "In a few seconds, the bracelet will seal off your memories."

"NO!!!" Inuyasha yelled, as he tried to attack Naraku again, despite the fact that he was in the body of a human child. But the bracelet shocked him once more, and with this second jolt of electricity, Inuyasha began to lose consciousness. 

"Think about it this way, Inuyasha; not many creatures get to start over with a clean slate," Naraku said with a laugh before Inuyasha lost both his consciousness and his memory.

Author-chan's notes: Cliffhanger! What Naraku is going to Inuyasha now? Is our favorite half-demon (though at the moment he's a very, _very_ cute little human kid) doomed? What about Kagome and the others? Find out in the next chapter of "A Clean Slate"! 

Please R+R!!!! (just no flames please!)


	2. The Magician

Author-chan's notes: **HI AGAIN!!!! **It's the second chapter! Yay! Please enjoy!!!

*Disclaimer- If I owned Inuyasha, I would be a millionaire, I wouldn't go to school or work, and I would have a hundred kitty-ear headbands!!! But unfortunately, I don't own Inuyasha, I'm not a millionaire, I go to school, and I don't have a hundred kitty-ear headbands. *cries*

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Two: The Magician)

Back with Naraku and Inuyasha

Inuyasha was still knocked out cold while Naraku began contemplating his next move. 

__

"If I try to take him to my castle and make him my servant, there is a risk to that. If the bracelet were to break, the spells on it would be destroyed, and I'll be right back where I started," Naraku thought to himself as he looked at Inuyasha's "new" human child form, _"However, if I kill him right now, I don't have to worry about Inuyasha ever again. Hmm. I suppose Inuyasha will have to die now."_

"I have to admit, Inuyasha," Naraku said to the former hanyou's unmoving form, "it was almost fun playing with you and your little friends. I'm almost disappointed it ended this way. I expected you to give more of a fight. Good-bye Inuyasha. You disappointed me."

Naraku began to move in for the kill…

***

Not far from Naraku and Inuyasha

Two humans were walking in the forest. Both of them wore plain working kimonos, that had been patched a few times. One was a sixteen-year-old male whose hair was tied in a ponytail at the base of his neck (AN: Think of Miroku's hairstyle only this guy's ponytail is a little bit longer and thicker). He had very, _very _dark eyes, almost black, with odd golden flecks in them. The other was a ten-year-old girl with long black hair tied loosely with ribbons. Her eyes were a normal, everyday dark brown. The two were brother and sister.

"Onii-san, are we there yet?" the girl whined.

"We're almost at village, Kimiko-chan," her brother answered, "Just be patient." Kimiko pouted at her older brother, Aki. Aki sighed. Kimiko could be so impatient sometimes.

"Are we there yet?" Kimiko asked again.

"No," came the tired reply.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we –" 

"Look, Kimi-chan, we won't get there any faster if you keep asking me," Aki interrupted. 

"Yes we can!" Kimiko said stubbornly, "If you used your magic to transport us there…"

"You know perfectly well that I can't do that," Aki sighed, "If the other villagers saw me using magic, they'll denounce me as a youkai."

Aki had a hobby that none of his neighbors knew about; he was a magician. His entire family was made up of magicians. But his family died five years ago in a fire, except for him and Kimiko. Now he was the only one left in his family to carry on their magical heritage since Kimiko didn't have any magical powers. At the moment the two siblings were heading back to the village where they lived after being away for a few weeks visiting another magician that lived in another village. Everything was peaceful (except for Kimiko's complaints now and then). But of course, the peace didn't last long.

"…You disappointed me," a voice said. Aki stopped in his tracks.

"Are we –" Kimiko started but Aki clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Quiet! Someone's out there," Aki whispered, "Just stay here while I check it out." Kimiko nodded once, and Aki let go of her. The young magician began to move towards the area where he heard the voice. Pushing aside some bushes he saw a man wearing a baboon pelt standing over a five-year-old boy. The boy seemed to be unconscious. Aki wondered if the baboon man was responsible. Aki watched as the man drew a knife from beneath the folds of his baboon pelt. (AN: I know Naraku doesn't use knives, but there _is_ a reason why he is doing so now. There is also a reason why he's acting a little bit OOC. I explain it all in the Author's note at the end of the chapter.)

"Now die, you impudent thorn-in-my-side!!!" Naraku roared as he brought the knife down.

"NO! STOP!!!" Aki yelled, throwing his magic into his words. To Naraku's surprise, the knife stopped, just inches above Inuyasha's heart. And no matter how much he pushed, the knife stayed there and wouldn't budge another inch. 

"What's this?!" Naraku cried, "Who's there?! Show yourself! NOW!!!" Aki pushed aside the bushes further and stepped into view. 

"A magician! I thought your kind was extinct!" Naraku said in surprise.

"Who are you?" Aki asked, "What were you trying to do to that boy? A child is harmless!" 

"Kukukukukukukuku!!!" Naraku laughed and gestured to the child on the ground, "Him? Harmless? Perhaps he is now."

"What do you mean?" Aki asked. Naraku laughed again.

"That is none of your concern, Magician," Naraku spat, "I went to great lengths to have that 'child' made as helpless as he is now. He has been a thorn in my side for far too long! I WILL kill him! Make no mistake about that!"

"Not if I can help it," Aki said defiantly, "The boy is under my protection. Step away from him now, and I can promise you that you will not get hurt."

"Kukukukukukukuku!!! You make me laugh, little magician," Naraku sneered, "I have a counter proposal for you; Go away, and I won't kill _you_!"

"No deal!" Aki yelled, "FLAME RINGS!!!" Two circles of fire surrounded Naraku, pinning his arms to his sides and tying his legs together.

"Don't even try to break my Flame Rings," Aki said smugly, "They're stronger than any metal chain ever created. Plus if you do try to break them, they burn you. Now, I'm going to take the boy, and when I'm far enough away from here, the Flame Rings will disappear. If you try to follow me, or if you try to hurt this child ever again, I'll get rid of you."

"Ha!" Naraku snorted, "Don't make me laugh, boy. If I wanted to I could break out of these little glowing lights. But I'll let you have that 'child' for now. I can wait to kill him. And what's even better, I can kill you along with him!"

"You're all talk, you baboon," Aki scoffed, as he walked over and picked up child's slumbering form, "You can't kill me if your life depended on it."

"Do NOT underestimate, Magician," Naraku spat, "I can promise you that _hoards _of youkai will chase after you, trying to kill that so-called '_child_' in your arms. I'll make sure of _that_!!!"

"Whatever you say, baboon," Aki said offhandedly, as he walked away with Inuyasha. When Aki was out of earshot, Naraku began to laugh.

"Kukukukukukukuku!!! You have _no _idea what you're up against, little magician," Naraku cried out to empty air, "Inuyasha will bring you trouble, whether or not he is in the body of a human child! But what are you going to do when demons appear at your doorstep trying to kill Inuyasha? For every demon _knows_ that Inuyasha is connected to the Shikon no Tama. Well that is, every demon except Inuyasha himself! You will be helpless! And Inuyasha will be no help to you! Enjoy your little 'victory' for now, _Magician_! The odds are against you, and you will not win! Kukukukukukukuku!!!"

"You're pathetic," a new voice from the trees called, interrupting Naraku's laughter.

"Who said that?" Naraku demanded, "Who are you?!" 

"Kukukukukukukuku!!!" the stranger laughed. The stranger jumped out of the tree and landed right in front of Naraku. Naraku gazed at the stranger, and gulped in fear. It was another Naraku!

"Impossible!" the Naraku in the Flame rings gasped.

"So you say," the second Naraku said. The new Naraku made a gesture and the Naraku in the Flame rings disappeared. In his place was a wooden doll-like puppet, cut neatly in half. The second Naraku (the _real_ Naraku) snorted.

"I hate defective puppets," Naraku muttered as he walked out of the clearing.

****

*Please read this! It's important!* Author-chan's notes: I hope I made that last part clear. *winces* Anyway, as you have probably gathered, the Naraku that put the bracelet on Inu-chan was only one of Naraku's puppets. However, this puppet was kind of screwed up in the head, and it sort of forgot that it was only an attachment of the real Naraku, began developing a slightly different personality, and it also began thinking that _it_ was the true Naraku. And as we all know, the _real_ Naraku didn't like that, and so he terminated the crazy puppet. Oh, the real Naraku knows about the bracelet.


	3. Please Be Alright

Author-chan's notes: **HI, EVERYONE!!!! **I'd like you all to meet chapter number three!!! Now we finally get to see how Kagome and the others are handling Inuyasha's disappearance. 

*Disclaimer- Who owns Inuyasha? Not me, unfortunately. But Rumiko Takahashi does! (Boy, do I envy her!)

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Three: Please Be Alright)

Back with Kagome and the others

"BRING HIM BACK!!!!!" Kagome yelled, "BRING HIM BACK RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Kagome, stop it!" Sango ordered, "Yelling won't help us get Inuyasha back."

"How do you know?!" Kagome protested, still hysterical. Tears were steaming down her face, and an aura of helplessness surrounded the girl from the future.

"Maybe you should rest, Kagome-sama," Miroku suggested gently, "Perhaps you should go back to your own world for a time so you can –"

"NO!!!" Kagome screamed, cutting of the monk, "I have to rescue Inuyasha! He is always there for me! Now I have to be there for him!" 

"Kagome-sama…" Miroku began.

"It's all my fault!" Kagome wailed, "I could have warned him! I could have stopped Naraku with one of my arrows!"

****

*SLAP!!!* Sango smacked Kagome with all her might. Kagome fell dumb, shocked at Sango's action. Sango glared at her friend.

"Don't say that!" Sango commanded, "None of us could have foreseen what was going to happen. There was nothing you, or any of us, could do!"

"Yeah, Kagome!" Shippo said, trying to cheer up his friend, "Inuyasha is strong. He'll probably escape Naraku, kick a couple of Naraku's puppets around the world while doing it, and come back tomorrow yelling at us, like the jerk he is, to find the Shikon shards!"

"You really think so?" Kagome sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"Uh huh," Shippo nodded, "But don't tell him I said that. He's still a jerk."

"Thanks, Shippo-chan!" Kagome smiled, feeling much better. She hugged the little kitsune, "And thank you, Sango-chan. I really needed that wake up call."

"No problem," Sango said with an answering smile.

"So what do we do now?" Miroku asked.

"We should continue looking for the Shikon shards," Kagome said firmly, "If –I mean _when_ –Inuyasha escapes, I bet he'll start looking for us. And he knows that we will be looking for the shards, so he'll probably start by trying to find places where the shards are or were. Besides, we'll probably hear more rumors on the road then in Kaede's village. Maybe one of those rumors can tell us where Inuyasha is!"

"Good idea, Kagome-chan," Sango agreed, "So then, let's go!"

"Yeah!" Shippo piped up. The girl from the future wanted to grin, but brief look of worry crossed Kagome's face.

__

"Please be alright, Inuyasha," Kagome thought to herself, _"If you get hurt, or die, I'll kill you –or myself. 'Cause I don't know what I'll do without you."_

***

Back with Aki, Kimiko, and Inuyasha

__

"That baboon man was crazy!" Aki thought to himself as he walked towards the road where he left Kimiko on. Aki looked down at the breathing bundle in his arms,_ "Poor kid. That madman must have nearly scared him to death. Hmm. I wonder if Kimi-chan wouldn't mind having a new playmate."_

"Onii-san!" Kimiko waved when her brother came into sight, "What took you so long? I was getting worried!"

"I was just putting a few things in order," Aki said, "Oh, by the way, I have someone I'd like you to meet" Aki knelled down so that Kimiko could get a better look at Inuyasha's slumbering form.

"It's a boy!" Kimiko exclaimed.

"Um hmm," Aki nodded. 

"What's his name?" Kimiko asked.

"I don't know," Aki admitted. Kimiko sweat dropped.

"Why not?" Kimiko asked. 

"Well, there was this man dress up like a baboon and he was trying to kill this boy," Aki answered, "I had to stop the man, so I restrained him with my Flame Rings. The boy was already unconscious and the man wasn't very happy with me, so neither of them told me the boy's name. That answer your question, Kimi-chan?"

"Yes," Kimiko said simply.

"Good," Aki said.

"So what are we going to do with him, Onii-san?" Kimiko asked.

"Let's take him home," Aki replied, "When he wakes up, he can tell us who is parents are, and then we can send him home."

"But, Onii-san, what if he doesn't have any parents? Or what if he doesn't want to go home because his parents hurt him?" Kimiko asked.

"Well then he can stay with us!" Aki said, "Wouldn't you like to have a little brother, Kimi-chan?"

"Hai!" Kimiko replied happily, "I would love to be an Onee-san!" Aki smiled at his little sister's enthusiasm. 

"Come on, Kimi-chan, let's get walking," Aki said, "We're almost home!"

***

At Kimiko and Aki's village

Miho was sixteen years old, and to the utter shame of her parents she was unmarried. Now don't get me wrong, she had lots of men seeking her hand in marriage. It was just that she would always turn down her suitors. Although normally her parents would set up an arranged marriage, Miho would always run away whenever they set one up for her. She would return as long as her parents canceled the wedding. Her parents had no idea what to do with her. They wanted her to settle down and have a family, but Miho would have none of it. She would not marry anyone. Needless to say, her parents were frustrated. But Miho got her way. For now.

"Onee-san!" Miho's younger sister, Rika, cried, "There are people approaching the village. It looks like Aki-san and his sister are back."

"Aki-san is back?" Miho said, walking over to her sister. 

"Yep!" Rika chirped, "And he's carrying something! Maybe it's a present for you!" Rika giggled. Everyone in the village knew that Aki liked Miho. Miho thought Aki was nice, but she wouldn't get married to him. Even if she wanted to, she _couldn't_ marry him. Her parents would never allow her to get married to Aki. Aki wasn't born in the village. His past was a complete mystery, so most of the villagers were at least a little wary of him. 

"Maybe Aki-san could use some help carrying that package of his," Miho said, "Come on Rika-chan, let's go help Aki-san." With that, Miho began walking towards Aki, Kimiko, and Inuyasha. Rika followed reluctantly behind her.

"Look, Onii-san," Kimiko whispered as they entered the village, "Miho-san is coming over." Aki turned bright red as Miho came closer and closer.

"Kon'nichi wa, Miho-san," Aki mumbled when Miho drew close.

"Hello, Aki," Miho chirped, smiling at him. Aki became even redder. Rika and Kimiko snickered at Aki's tomato-like face.

"What's in your bundle, Aki-san?" Miho asked politely.

"Um, ah, er," Aki sputtered, still red in the face. Kimiko laughed harder when she realized her brother was petrified.

"What Onii-san is trying to tell you, Miho-san," Kimiko said after she had finished giggling, "is that he found this boy in the forest who was about to get killed by a man wearing a baboon pelt, and that Onii-san saved the boy."

"That's so brave of you, Aki-san!" Miho said, flashing him another smile. Aki nearly fainted from blushing.

"I-it was nothing, Miho-san," Aki mumbled.

"Do you need help carrying him?" Miho asked.

"Hmm?" Aki blinked.

"The boy. Do you need help carrying the boy to your hut?" Miho asked.

"Ah, no. No help. I'm fine," Aki said, still blushing. He walked towards his home, still red in the face. Kimiko followed him, snickering.

Author-chan's notes: Erg! I keep writing such short chapters for this fic, and it's annoying me!!! Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. *sigh* School's back, so I might not update my stories as much as I would like. Mou! I hate this!


	4. Inner Conflict

Author-chan's notes: **HI AGAIN!!!** Please enjoy chapter four! *Pulls Inuyasha plushy out of nowhere and begins to coo over plushy*

*Disclaimer- *All of a sudden, Seto Kiba appears out of thin air*

Seto Kiba- Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am Seto Kiba from Yugi-Oh! Due to the fact that the author known as Author-chan is at the moment cooing over her Inuyasha plushy, I shall do the disclaimer for her. Do not worry, Author-chan should be able to come back in time to write the chapter. 

*A director pops out of nowhere*

Director- *whispering* Hey, Kiba-san! Hurry up and do the disclaimer already!!!

Seto Kiba- *glaring at the Director* Stop pestering me!!! Author-chan does not own Inuyasha or any other anime. She does however own the plot of this story as well as any Original Characters that she has created. 

Director- Feh! I've heard better disclaimers from three-year-olds! Why did Author-chan hire you anyway?

Seto Kiba- *glaring at the Director again* Are you mocking my acting skills?

Director- *sneering* YES!

Seto Kiba- *pulls out his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and brings it to life* Go my Dragon! Attack the Director! *Dragon fries the Director with its attack*

Director- *slowly recovering* Impossible! How did you bring your card to life? You don't have that kind of power!

Seto Kiba- *smirking* I do now. Keep attacking that Director, Blue-Eyes! *Dragon continues to fry Director*

Director- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Four: Inner Conflict)

Inside Inuyasha's Dream

A five-year-old human Inuyasha glanced around the Dreamscape. The Dream world seemed to be completely black and endless.

__

"Huh?" Little Inuyasha thought, _"W-where am I? Who am I? I don't remember anything! What's going on here?!"_

"I'd like to know the same thing, kid," a voice behind him muttered. Little Inuyasha turned to face the speaker. The speaker was sitting in the lower branches of an ancient tree that Chibi Inuyasha didn't notice before. The speaker jumped down from the tree so that Little Inuyasha could see him more easily. Little Inuyasha observed that the stranger closely. He wore a red kimono, a sword was at his hip, he wore a rosary around his neck, and a silver bracelet surrounded his wrist; just like Little Inuyasha. The stranger also wore his hair down to his waist, like Little Inuyasha. But that was where resemblance ended. The stranger was a lot older than Little Inuyasha; he looked to be in his late teens, but for some reason, Little Inuyasha was positive he was much older than that. The stranger was tall while Chibi Inuyasha was short. Chibi Inuyasha couldn't even reach the stranger's waist on his tiptoes! The stranger's eyes were a piercing gold, rather than Chibi Inuyasha's soft violet. Chibi Inuyasha also noticed that the stranger had white fluffy dog-ears on top of his head, and that his hair was as white as his ears. And Chibi Inuyasha didn't fail to notice that the man's hands were clawed, and that he had fangs. (AN: If you don't know who I'm describing, I'm going to be very sad.)

"W-who are you?" Chibi Inuyasha asked, "_What _are you?"

"You should know that!" the stranger snapped, giving Chibi Inuyasha a quick glare.

"Well, I don't!" Chibi Inuyasha snapped back, "I don't know anything! I can't _remember_ anything!" The stranger's eyes softened for a moment.

"My name is Inuyasha," the stranger said, as he absent-mindedly fingered the bracelet on his arm, "And I am a hanyou."

"Oh," Chibi Inuyasha said, blinking, "Um, do you know _my_ name?"

"Yeah," Big Inuyasha nodded, "Your name is Inuyasha."

"Huh?!" Little Inuyasha said, his eyes widening, "How come we have the same name?"

"'Cause we're the same person," Big Inuyasha retorted.

"B-but that's impossible!" Chibi Inuyasha sputtered, "You're older than me, and we don't share a body! We're not even the same species for Kami's sake!"

"But we _are_ the same age, and we _do _share body, and, believe it or not, kid, we _are_ the same species," Big Inuyasha retorted, "Whether you like it or not, we're the same."

"Not true!" Little Inuyasha said stubbornly, "I _know_ I'm human, even if I don't have a memory. And we don't _look_ the same age, and if we were sharing a body, how can we be talking like this?"

"Look, brat," Big Inuyasha snapped, "All of this is a dream. _That's_ how we can communicate like this!"

"If this is a dream, then this isn't real," Chibi Inuyasha concluded. Big Inuyasha growled, and smacked his Chibi self lightly across the head. 

"Baka!" Big Inuyasha snarled, "Look, even though this is a dream, everything I tell you here is real. A little while ago, an enemy of mine –er, _ours_ –called Naraku came and slapped this stupid thing on my wrist!" Big Inuyasha, waved the arm with the silver bracelet on it in the air.

"So?" Little Inuyasha shrugged, "What can a bracelet do? It's just a piece of jewelry."

"Baka!" Big Inuyasha yelled again, "I can't _believe_ you're me!"

"Well I can't believe you're me either!" Chibi Inuyasha yelled back.

"Look, brat," Big Inuyasha growled, "You have to listen to me. What I'm telling you is the truth. After all, I won't lie to myself."

"Fine! Whatever!" Chibi Inuyasha growled back.

"This bracelet isn't just a piece of jewelry, kid," Big Inuyasha said, "It's got some heavy duty spells on it." 

"Like what?" his Chibi self asked, finally interested in what his Big self was saying.

"The bracelet has four major spells on it," Big Inuyasha replied, "One of them makes it so that I can't attack that freak, Naraku without getting hit by lightning. The others are all sealing spells. I hate sealing spells!" 

"Why?" Chibi Inuyasha asked innocently.

"None of your business, brat!" Big Inuyasha automatically snapped. Chibi Inuyasha glared at his Big self.

"It _is_ my business, Inuyasha!" Chibi Inuyasha growled back, "I'm _you_, remember? I should know about myself!"

"So, you're finally accepting that you're me?" Big Inuyasha smirked. 

"Feh!" Chibi Inuyasha snorted, "Don't push your luck!"

"And don't push yours!" Big Inuyasha countered.

"Fine!" Little Inuyasha snapped, pointing to his bracelet, "So what else does this stupid thing do?" (AN: In case anybody thinks that this phrase is familiar, it is. Inuyasha asked the Naraku puppet the same thing in chapter one just before he lost his memories.)

"The bracelet seals off my youkai blood, making me human," Big Inuyasha answered, "It also seals off my age and my memories. _That's_ why you're a clueless human kid." 

"Okay, then how come _you_ are still a full-grown hanyou with all his memories?" Chibi Inuyasha asked, "If this spell was placed on you, er, me, um, _us_ then how come _you_'re not affected?" 

"I _am_ affected, baka," Big Inuyasha sneered, "All those spells on the bracelet are _sealing_ spells. The spells didn't erase my memories or my demon blood; they just sealed them away. _I_ represent the part of us that was sealed away. _You _represent what was left of me –or us –after the spells took place. I can only exist in the dream world, until this stupid piece of jewelry is taken off."

"This is confusing!" Chibi Inuyasha sighed. Big Inuyasha shook his head and sighed.

"I forget you're just a pup," Big Inuyasha muttered.

"So are you!" Chibi Inuyasha retorted, "I'm _you_, remember?"

"So are you finally going to believe me, er, yourself?" Big Inuyasha asked.

"Maybe," Chibi Inuyasha shrugged, "But I'm just wondering; when we wake up, will I remember this dream?"

"Probably not," Big Inuyasha admitted, "Naraku maybe a bastard, but he's not stupid. This bracelet probably makes it so that if you begin to remember anything, it will get resealed. We need to get rid of this stupid thing!"

"How?" Chibi Inuyasha asked.

"I don't know," his older self admitted. Chibi Inuyasha sweat dropped.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!!!!" Chibi Inuyasha yelled. Big Inuyasha clutched his sensitive ears. 

"DON'T YELL!!!" Big Inuyasha roared back. Chibi Inuyasha clamped his hands over _his_ ears. Both versions of Inuyasha glared at each other. 

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Big Inuyasha growled after ten minutes of glaring, "And we'll be waking up soon."

"Feh," Chibi Inuyasha snorted, "It's your fault. You started it."

"SAY WHAT?!" Big Inuyasha yelled, giving his Chibi self a glare that could melt steel.

"You heard me," Chibi Inuyasha replied smugly, his chubby little arms crossed over his chest. Big Inuyasha growled.

"If you weren't me, I'd give you such a pounding," Big Inuyasha threatened. Chibi Inuyasha stuck his tongue out at his older self. Before either one of them could say anything else, bright spheres of light floated into the dreamscape, illuminating everything.

"W-what's happening?" Chibi Inuyasha asked.

"We've talked to long," Big Inuyasha muttered, "We're beginning to wake up."

"What?!" Chibi Inuyasha's eyes widened. Big Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, but more light filled the dreamscape, blinding both Inuyashas. And then Chibi Inuyasha woke up.

***

Inside Kimiko and Aki's hut

Little Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open. He moaned in pain; his head hurt. He knew that he had just had a dream, an important dream at that. But he couldn't remember it. All that he recalled was a misty figure. Chibi Inuyasha shrugged mentally. It was just a dream after all; it wasn't important. Chibi Inuyasha tried to remember the last thing he did, but he couldn't. He realized that he couldn't remember anything! Not even his own name. He sat up in the cot he was resting in, and put a hand to his head.

"Who am I?" the boy asked himself quietly.

"I'd like to know the same thing, kid," someone close by muttered. Chibi Inuyasha felt a chill go down his spine as he experienced déjà vu. Little Inuyasha turned his head to face the speaker.

"Hello," the stranger said with a kind smile, "My name is Aki."

"Um, do you know who I am?" Chibi Inuyasha asked.

"I was hoping _you_ would tell me that," Aki laughed. 

"He must have lost his memory, Onii-san," Kimiko piped up as she walked towards the cot.

"I think you're right, Kimi-chan," Aki agreed. He turned back to Inuyasha.

"Do you remember anything? Anything at all?' Aki asked the little boy. Inuyasha thought for a moment.

"He had golden eyes," Inuyasha muttered half to himself and half to Aki, "Glaring golden eyes." Then, Chibi Inuyasha fainted.

Author-chan's notes: Confusing chapter, ne? Short too. So, Big Inuyasha got to talk to his Chibi self. This is going to happen a lot in later chapters. And Inuyasha finally met someone just as stubborn as Kagome; himself! 

****

I'm planning on having a different anime characters do the Disclaimers from now on. That's why Seto Kiba did the Disclaimer on this chapter. I want you people to vote on a new character for each chapter, and I'll see if I can hire him/her to do the Disclaimer. They can come from any anime, although I would like it if you nominated someone from an anime I know. Don't worry though, I've watched a lot of anime shows, so it's very likely that I'd know your character, or a friend of mine does. But even if I don't know the character you choose, or no one I know does, then I'll probably look it up on the Internet if I have time (school can just get in the way sometimes!). When you nominate a character, please give the name of the character, and what anime he/she is on in your review. If no one votes, I'll just ask my six-year-old nephew to pick someone, and his first choice is Pikachu from Pokemon. So unless you want to see "pika, pika" in my next Disclaimer, give me someone I can work with! Ja ne for now!


	5. Shiro

Author-chan's notes: **HELLO AGAIN!!!** Meet chapter five, minna-san! Thank you **moonymonster** for telling me that how to spell Kaiba's name correctly (I can't believe I forgot the 'A'!). And congratulations to **liz3386!** Since your suggestion on who is going to do the Disclaimer was the first one, you're suggestion is going first. Actually **liz3386** elected three, but I'm only going to use two in the Disclaimer. So lets give it up for the Director and our two mystery guests!!! *Author-chan steps out of sight*

*Disclaimer- *Director appears out of thin air holding a clipboard*

Director- So who's gonna do the Disclaimer today? It better not be that psycho Kaiba again. I looked more burnt then my cousin Joe's chicken after that Dragon thing!!! Okay so who is on the list? 

*Director glances at clipboard and reads* 

Director- Hmm. Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi. According to this she's some sort of priestess. Good! Priestesses are supposed to be very calm and reserved. So where is this Miaka anyway?

*Director looks around the room. He spots Miaka sitting at a table eating pork buns*

Director- HEY!!! THOSE ARE _MY_ PORK BUNS!!!

Miaka- They are? I'm sorry. They were just lying there, and I was _really_ hungry. I'll pay for them if you'd like. 

Director- YOU ATE _MY_ PORK BUNS!!! MY MOMMY MADE THOSE PORK BUNS!

Miaka- *tearfully* I said I was sorry!

Director- *growling* The only way I'll be happy is if I get my pork buns back. So that means I have to cut open your stomach and get them back! Muhahahahahahaha!!!! *Director pulls out an electric saw and advances on Miaka*

Miaka- Tamahome!!! HELP!!!

*Tamahome appears out of nowhere*

Tamahome- *to Director* Get away from Miaka!

Director- NEVER!!! I want my pork buns!!! *saw makes scary sounds. Miaka squeaks in fright*

Tamahome- *eyes narrowing* I warned you! *Tamahome kicks saw out of Director's hands. Then Tamahome beats up Director. Director is laying on the floor dazed.*

Tamahome- *smirking at Director* If you looked at your list you would have noticed that it said "Miaka AND Tamahome". Always read the fine print.

Director- *groans in pain*

Miaka- So why were we here again?

Tamahome- *shrugging* Some girl called Author-chan hired us to do her Disclaimer for her. She promised us money, remember?

Miaka- *finally remembering* And food!

*Author-chan suddenly reappears*

Author-chan- Hi guys! Have you finished the disclaimer yet?

Tamahome- Give us the money first.

Miaka- And the food!

Author-chan- *hands Tamahome a small bag* You got your cash, now do the Disclaimer!

Miaka & Tamahome- **Author-chan doesn't own Inuyasha, Fushigi Yuugi, or any other anime. She does however own the plot of this story and any Original Characters.**

Author-chan- *grinning* Thanks for everything guys!

Miaka- Hey! What about my food?!

Author-chan- It's on the table over there. I asked the Director's mother to make some pork buns for you.

Miaka- THE DIRECTOR?! That guy tried to slice me open 'cause he said I ate _his_ pork buns!

Author-chan- "His pork buns"? He put his pork buns in a paper bag, not on the table.

Miaka- Does that mean I _didn't_ eat his pork buns?

Author-chan- You ate _your_ pork buns. Not his. By the way, where is the Director?

Tamahome- He's on the floor over there. I, um, beat him up.

Author-chan- Don't worry about it. The Director has been through worse. Just the other chapter, he got barbecued by Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon! He'll live.

*Miaka and Tamahome leave. Author-chan turns to the audience*

Author-chan- The morals of this Disclaimer are: Don't jump to conclusions, Don't whine over eaten pork buns, Always read the fine print, and Never, EVER, threaten Miaka, 'cause Tamahome will kill ya. Now, on with the fic!!!

*Author-chan then pulls out a brown paper bag, takes out a pork bun, and begins eating*

Director- *moans in pain* M-my pork buns!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Five: Shiro)

Still inside Kimiko and Aki's hut

"'Golden eyes'?" Kimiko blinked, "That seems to be an odd thing to say." Aki nodded in agreement. The boy had finally woken up, only for Aki and Kimiko to discover he had no memories, except that he knew someone with golden eyes. Then the boy had fallen asleep again. 

"Do you know anyone with golden eyes, Kimi-chan?" Aki asked.

"You have golden eyes, Onii-san," Kimiko piped up.

"I do not!" Aki retorted, "My eyes only have gold _flecks_. They aren't fully golden."

"But whenever you do magic, your eyes turn _completely_ golden!" Kimiko protested. Aki shrugged.

"So, they aren't gold all the time," Aki countered. 

"Do we know anyone else with golden eyes?" Kimiko asked. Aki shook his head. 

"Hmm. Maybe that baboon man had golden eyes," Aki mused half to himself and half to Kimiko.

"Did he have golden eyes when you met him, Onii-san?" Kimiko asked.

"I don't know," Aki admitted, "That baboon pelt he wore covered up his face so I couldn't see his eyes."

"Do you think he's faking about losing his memories?" Kimiko asked, indicating to Inuyasha's slumbering form. 

"No," Aki answered looking at the boy, "I can't explain why I feel that way, but I'm _positive_ that the boy really did loose his memories."

"Is it your magic telling you that?" Kimiko asked.

"Yes," Aki nodded, "And it is also telling me that with this boy around, our lives will change drastically."

"Will the change be for good or bad?" Kimiko asked.

"I- I feel that we are going to be thrust into an adventure that is both magical and dangerous," Aki replied, his voice unsteady, "But I know that we _have_ to help this boy. He's going to be important on day. Maybe he already is."

"Look, Onii-san!" Kimiko cried, pointing to Inuyasha, "He's waking up!"

"Uh…" Inuyasha moaned as he sat up on the bed. Aki put a gentle hand on the child's shoulder.

"Are you alright, boy?" Aki asked.

"I-I can't remember anything," Inuyasha mumbled. Then he turned to face Aki, "Do _you_ know me?" Aki shook his head.

"Sorry, kid," Aki said sadly, "We were hoping that you would be able to tell us that."

"W-who are you?" Inuyasha asked, blinking at the two siblings.

"My name is Aki," the young magician replied, "And this is my sister, Kimiko."

"Hello!" Kimiko chirped, giving Inuyasha a 100wat smile.

"My name is," Inuyasha began, trying hard to remember, "My name is… I-I don't remember my name!"

"Do you remember anything at all?" Aki asked. Inuyasha shook his head.

"Maybe we can name you!" Kimiko suggested.

"We can't just name him!" Aki protested, "What if we don't give him the right name?"

"Well, it would only be a temporary name," Kimiko said, "Or maybe it can be like a nickname! That way when you finally remember your real name, we can still call you by our name and it wouldn't seem funny."

"That would be okay, I guess," Inuyasha shrugged, "So, what are you going to call me?"

"Well, you're carrying a sword, and not a lot of boys your age carry one," Aki began, "So maybe we should call you Ken." (AN: In case you don't know, Ken means sword/blade in Japanese. I am in _NO_ way referring to Barbie's boyfriend!)

"Nah," Inuyasha wrinkled his nose, "It doesn't seem right."

"What about Bara?" Kimiko suggested, "You're kimono is the same color as them."

"There is no way in hell that I'm going to be called 'Rose'!" Inuyasha stated firmly. 

"It was just a suggestion," Kimiko huffed.

"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted.

"What about Ronin?" Aki suggested, using the name for master-less samurai "After all, you _do_ carry a sword like one."

"HELL NO!!!" Inuyasha yelled, "All samurai are stupid; even the ones _with_ someone to make their decisions for them!" 

"How is it that you can say that samurai are stupid when you can't remember anything?" Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I just feel that way, alright?!" Inuyasha growled. 

"Just because he lost his memory, Kimi-chan, it doesn't mean that he lost his personality or the way he feels about things," Aki explained.

"Oh," Kimiko nodded. Inuyasha just growled and muttered under his breath.

"You growl like a dog, you know that?" Kimiko told Inuyasha. Inuyasha just growled louder. 

"THAT'S IT!!!" Aki yelled in triumph, "I know the _perfect_ name for you."

"If you say Ninja, I'm going to kill you," Inuyasha threatened.

"Shiro is the perfect name for you!" Aki cried.

"Shiro?" Inuyasha blinked.

"Shiro?!" Kimiko gasped, her eyes wide.

"Yes, Shiro," Aki said, "When Kimi-chan said you growled like a dog, that gave me an idea. You see, when I was five, I had a dog named Shiro who was grumpy and growled a lot too. But he could be as cute and as gentle as a puppy if you scratched in the right spot. I have a feeling you'll be like that too."

"What, I'll start wagging my tail when you scratch behind my ears?" Inuyasha muttered. 

"Well, not exactly. But something like that," Aki said with a grin.

"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted.

"So you _don't_ want to be called Shiro?" Aki asked.

"Whoever said that?" Inuyasha growled.

"So we _can_ call you Shiro?" Kimiko asked.

"Sure," Inuyasha shrugged, "Just don't call me Samurai!" Aki and Kimiko laughed. 

"Well then, welcome to our home, Shiro-chan!" Aki said with a wide smile. Inuyasha blinked slowly. Then his entire features softened for a moment, and he gave Aki a tiny smile that was barely visible.

"Thank you," Shiro murmured before he turned his head away.

***

A little while later

After they named "Shiro", Inuyasha got to know more about the two siblings. He learned that Aki and Kimiko had lost their parents years ago. For some odd reason, Shiro felt that their story was familiar to him. But he shrugged it off. He got to learn about their personalities as well. Kimiko was incredibly bright, cheery, bouncy, and child-like. She was young not only in her body, but also in her mind and heart. And even though she was five years older than Shiro –not to mention that she was over a foot taller than he was –her personality made her seem younger than the five-year-old boy. Aki was obviously more mature than Kimiko. He had acted as both brother and father to Kimiko when their parents died, and he still did. The only thing that seemed to unhinge him and make him nervous was Miho. Although Inuyasha got to know the siblings' personalities very well, Aki chose not to tell him about his magic, or about the "baboon man". 

As for the siblings, they discovered that the boy they called Shiro could be grumpy and rude. Make that _very_ grumpy and rude. 

"Do you want to see our village, Shiro-chan?" Kimiko asked politely.

"Alright," Inuyasha/Shiro shrugged. Kimiko grinned, grabbed his hand, and dragged him out of the hut. Aki laughed quietly to himself as he watched them go. 

Meanwhile, Kimiko was showing Shiro around the village, and introducing/pointing out various people. 

"That over there is Miho-san and her sister Rika-chan," Kimiko said, pointing to the two sisters, "Rika-chan is my age. Miho-san is Onii-chan's age. Onii-chan _loves_ her." Kimiko giggled.

"Does that mean that Aki want to mate with Miho and have pups with her?" Shiro/Inuyasha asked. 

"They're not dogs, Shiro-chan," Kimiko said, trying to suppress a giggle, "Onii-san wants to marry Miho-san and have babies with her."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Inuyasha asked, his eyebrows drawn together.

"Um, I guess," Kimiko shrugged.

"Why doesn't Aki mate with Miho if he wants to?" Shiro asked.

"'Cause Miho's parents won't let him," Kimiko answered.

"Then why doesn't he just run way with her?" Inuyasha asked.

"I don't know," Kimiko said, blinking a few times, "Maybe it's because Onii-san can be a baka sometimes."

"Oh," Shiro nodded, "That makes sense." Kimiko laughed as Miho walked over to them. Rika followed behind her.

"Hello again, Kimiko-chan!" Miho said cheerfully. Kimiko bowed politely while Inuyasha continued to stare at Miho.

"It is good to see you too, Miho san!" Kimiko chirped.

"Is this the little boy that Aki-san brought home today?" Miho asked, crouching down to Shiro's eye level. Shiro's large purple eyes blinked at her.

"Yes," Kimiko answered for Inuyasha. 

"Are you the woman that Aki wants to have pups with?" Inuyasha asked, cocking his head to one side while looking at Miho. Kimiko gasped in horror. Rika snickered under her breath, while Miho turned a bright red.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, looking at Kimiko. Kimiko continued to gape at the boy she called Shiro.

"So what is the name of this boy who has an overactive imagination?" Miho asked. Now that she had finally gotten over her shock, she began to look amused.

"This is Shiro-chan," Kimiko said, "He can be rude sometimes."

"Feh!" Shiro/Inuyasha huffed.

"Make that all the time," Kimiko sighed, shaking her head in defeat. Miho giggled.

"Well, rude or not, I think Shiro-chan looks very cute," Miho said with a smile, "Kind of like a puppy dog."

"Shiro-chan is like a dog in more ways then one," Kimiko stated, "In fact, Onii-san named Shiro-chan after his old dog, since Shiro-chan growls just like Onii-san's old pet!"

"I do not!" Shiro growled in protest. Kimiko laughed.

"See what I mean?" Kimiko giggled.

"So 'Shiro' is not your real name?" Miho asked Inuyasha, "Then what's your real name?"

"I don't know," Inuyasha shrugged. 

"He lost all of his memories," Miho piped up.

"Oh, that's so sad!" Miho said, sympathy written all over her face, "I hope you recover them soon!" Shiro shrugged.

"You know, Kimiko-chan," Rika said, "If Shiro-chan reminded you of a dog, why didn't you just call him Inu?"

"I-Inu?" Shiro murmured, his eyes becoming slightly glazed. For some reason, that sounded familiar. But something was missing. Wasn't there more to it then just Inu?

"I-Inu?" Shiro murmured again, "Inuy-" The boy began to feel slightly dizzy. He began to lean back slightly, and would have toppled to the ground if Miho didn't catch him. He had fainted, again. 

"Shiro-chan?" Kimiko said, shaking her new friend, "SHIRO-CHAN!!!"

Author-chan's notes: Have you begun to see a pattern with Inuyasha's fainting spells? He gets knocked out whenever he begins to remember something about himself. As you have probably guessed, this is also another evil power of the silver bracelet. As you have noticed, I've been interchanging "Shiro" and "Inuyasha" through out the story. I hope it doesn't bother you. 

Oh, and a reviewer asked if Aki really _does_ get nervous that easily (refer to chapter three) around Miho. And the answer is YES! Aki becomes a tomato-faced baka whenever Miho is around. I wonder if I should give him some therapy (courtesy of Kimiko and Inuyasha/Shiro) somewhere in the story…

****

Don't forget to vote for your favorite anime character to do the Disclaimer! Just give me their name and what anime they are from! You can vote more than once! 


	6. Beautiful Dreamer

Author-chan's notes: **GOOD TO SEE YA AGAIN, MINNA-SAN!!!!!** I want to thank everyone for your support on this fic! I also want to congratulate **moonymonster **and **Trunks**. Your character ('cause you both voted for the same one) will be doing the Disclaimer today. Now lets say "hello" to the Director and our mystery guest!!!! *Author-chan disappears*

*Disclaimer- *Director appears holding a clipboard.* 

Director- *grumbling to himself* I beginning to hate my workdays. First, I get fried by a bloody dragon, then I become the personal punching bag of a crazed martial artist. What next? Will I get stomped on by a giant robot?! 

*Director looks down at his clipboard*

Director- Well, let's see who that crazy demented author asked to do the Disclaimer today, hmm. It says here on my list that the next person is Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho. It also says that Kurama is a kitsune. What's a kitsune?

*Director pulls out a English-Japanese dictionary, and looks up "kitsune"*

Director- Kitsune means fox. Author-chan hired an animal to do the Disclaimer?!

*Director turns the page of the Dictionary and reads again*

Director- Hmm. According to this, "kitsune" has _two_ meanings. It says here that "kitsune" is also the term for a Japanese fox demon. Now _that_ makes sense. Author-chan hired a demon to do the Disclaimer. 

*Director smiles in triumph, but then he does a double-take*

Director- Wait a second, did I just say _"demon"_?! *Director becomes pale* **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! **I'M GOING TO DIE!!!! A DEMON IS COMING!!! A DEMON IS COMING!!!!! **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!**

*Director continues to squall like a baby. Suddenly Author-chan comes back, holding her ears in pain*

Author-chan- *growling* WHO IS MAKING THAT NOISE?!!! I CAN'T EVEN HEAR MYSELF _THINK_ IN THIS NOISE!!!!

Director- *still screaming* DEMON!!!!!!! **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!**

Author-chan- *grumbling to herself* I think Kaiba had the right idea; I think I'm going to _roast_ that baka!!!

*Suddenly Kurama appears, in his human form*

Kurama- *holding his ears to block out the noise* What is going on in here?!

Author-chan- *glaring at the screaming Director* I don't know, ask him! *gestures to the Director*

Kurama- *trying to be polite* Excuse me, but why are you screaming?

Director- *grabs the front of Kurama's shirt and begins shaking him* ARE YOU A BAKA OR SOMETHING?!!!! A _DEMON_ IS COMING!!!! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!! 

Author-chan- Kurama-san, please, for the love of all that is animated, shut that crybaby up!!!!

Kurama- No problem. *Kurama pulls out a rose and transforms it into his Rosewhip. Kurama hits the Director over the head, laying him out cold. The screaming finally stops and peace descends upon the chapter*

Author-chan- *starry eyed* Xie xie! Can you teach me how to use your Rosewhip? I wanna beat up the Director too! Please?

Kurama- *blinking at Author-chan, positive the girl is crazy* Maybe later. I have to do the Disclaimer, ne?

Author-chan- *finally remembering* Oh that's right. Well, fire away, Kurama-san!!!

Kurama- **Author-chan does not own Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, or any other anime or manga existing today. She owns only her Original Characters and her ideas.**

Author-chan- *starry eyes* Thanks, Kurama-san!!!

*Kurama disappears. The Director finally wakes up*

Director- Uh, what happened?

Author-chan- Nothing much. You just got beat up by a kitsune.

Director- *eyes widening with fear* The demon was here! I got beat up by a _demon_?! **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!**

Author-chan- *holding her ears in pain* Kurama-san? Can I borrow you Rosewhip for a second? *runs after Kurama, and leaves the Director all by himself*

Director- **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! DEMON!!!!!**

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Six: Beautiful Dreamer)

Back with Kagome and the others

The rest of the group had made it back to Kaede's hut without Inuyasha. A dark gloom seemed to hang over the friends, especially around Kagome. Kaede, feeling the dark aura about them, left the group alone for most of the time, only interrupting their gloomy thoughts with an offering of food. The entire group ate mechanically, except for Kagome. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts to even notice the warm meal before her.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome murmured to herself. Miroku and Sango frowned. If Kagome kept this up, she would kill herself.

"We should head towards the east tomorrow," Miroku said out loud, startling the whole group, "Rumor has it that the youkai population over there has been getting out of control. Perhaps there is a Shikon shard there. And where there is a Shikon shard…"

"There will be word of Inuyasha!" Kagome finished, jumping up, "Let's go now! Why should we wait for tomorrow to get that shard?"

"Is it just me, or is Kagome acting a little bit like Inuyasha?" Sango whispered to Miroku.

"It's scary," Shippo squeaked. 

"Um, Kagome-sama," Miroku began, "Why don't we rest before we start traveling? The rest will allow you to regain your energy."

"I'm fine, Miroku-sama," Kagome huffed, "The sooner we get that shard, the sooner we'll find out what happened to Inuyasha!"

"There's no guarantee that we'll find out anything about Inuyasha," Sango told her friend.

"I'll take that chance," Kagome muttered.

"Why don't you eat, at least," Miroku said, offering her a bowl, "You'll slow us down if you faint from lack of food."

"Good idea!" Kagome chirped, grabbing the bowl from Miroku's hands. The girl from the future began stuffing her face as fast as she could. Miroku, Sango, and Kaede sweat dropped.

"Miroku, I'm scared," Shippo whispered to the monk, "Kagome is acting like Inuyasha!"

"Don't worry, Shippo," Miroku said, patting the kitsune's shoulder, "I'll get rid of the demon that's controlling Kagome-sama, don't you worry."

"What was that, monk?!" Kagome growled, glaring at Miroku. Miroku paled.

"I don't think we have to look for Inuyasha anymore," Miroku whispered fearfully, "I think he's possessed Kagome-sama!"

"Why would you think that baka could possess me?!" Kagome yelled, glaring at Miroku. Miroku blanched. 

"Please don't hurt me!" Miroku cried. Kagome began to stand up, but then suddenly, she fell back down. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kaede all gathered around the girl from the future.

"What happened to her?" Shippo asked, poking Kagome.

"Methinks she has fallen asleep," Kaede observed.

"But how did that happen?" Sango asked. Miroku turned away and began to whistle. Sango raised an eyebrow at the monk.

"What did you do, Miroku?" Sango growled, glaring at him.

"What ever do you mean, Sango-san?" Miroku asked innocently, "I simply threw in a pinch of special herbs into Kagome-sama's food so that it would taste better."

Kaede picked up Kagome's bowl, and sniffed at the remainders of the girl's meal. 

"This food has been laced with enough sleeping herbs to knock out a full demon for days on end," Kaede stated after she smelled the bowl. Sango glared at Miroku. The monk smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"We couldn't have Kagome-sama faint in the woods now can we?" Miroku reasoned.

"So you had her faint _here_ instead, eh?" Sango growled, her hand inching towards her Hiraikotsu. Miroku gulped.

"Now Sango, you don't have to destroy me with the Hiraikotsu," Miroku squeaked, trying to reason with the angry demon exterminator, "Isn't that a bit over the top?" Sango paused to think over his words.

"You know Miroku, you're right," Sango said, moving her hand away from her weapon.

"I am?" Miroku blinked. Sango smiled sweetly.

"Hai," Sango nodded.

"Does that mean I won't get a beating?" Miroku asked hopefully. Sango grinned.

****

*POW!!!* Sango slammed her fist strait into Miroku's eye. The monk went down in a heap.

"I only said I wasn't going to use the Hiraikotsu, I never said anything about not beating you up," Sango answered, glaring at the monk. Miroku moaned in pain.

***

Inside Kagome's dream

__

"Where am I?" Kagome thought, _"And what did Miroku put in that stew?!"_

Kagome looked around. She was floating in a white void. The girl blinked. She couldn't tell up from down. 

__

"This place is even stranger than the Feudal Ages!" Kagome thought. Kagome sighed and looked again.

__

"Oh well," Kagome thought, _"I guess the best way to get out of here is to start moving."_ Kagome began to float forward. She couldn't help but enjoy the feel of being weightless. 

__

"This is almost as fun as riding on Inuyasha's back!" Kagome grinned. Suddenly she spotted something below her.

__

"Huh?" Kagome floated downwards, closer to the object she saw. She gasped when she saw it.

__

"That's the tree that Inuyasha was pinned to!" Kagome cried in her mind, _"That's the old God Tree!"_ She floated until she was close enough to touch the bark of the old tree. She circled around the tree until she saw something that made her cry out in horror.

__

"Inuyasha?!!!" Kagome gasped. Just like when she had first met the stubborn hanyou, Inuyasha was pinned to the tree, fast asleep. Only this time, the seal wasn't a holy arrow, but a giant silver band that encircled his chest, pressing him tightly against the tree. However, Kagome did not notice that around his wrist was a miniature version of the silver band around his chest. 

"INUYASHA!!!!" Kagome cried, this time out loud. The hanyou didn't move. Kagome began to get desperate. Grabbing the giant silver band in both hands, the girl began to tug at it. The band didn't move an inch. Worse, it shocked Kagome with bluish electricity. 

"Ow…" Kagome moaned, blowing on her slightly scorched hands. She looked back Inuyasha's slumbering form. To her surprise the silver band was gone, and Inuyasha was lying against the tree trunk, asleep and comfortable. Kagome blinked, and then suddenly, the hanyou had transformed into a five-year-old human child!

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome gasped. She knew it had to be him. Kagome remembered when the Nothing Woman had shown Inuyasha his child form in the pond, and she also remembered what Inuyasha looked like when the new moon came. She was positive that this is what Inuyasha would have looked like when the new moon came around when he was five years old. But she didn't understand why he had changed.

"Uh…" the child moaned, his eyelids fluttering. The boy opened his bright purple eyes and looked at Kagome.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said again, looking at the tiny child.

"Who are you?" Little Inuyasha asked. She felt as if she was stabbed strait through the heart when she heard those words. How could he have forgotten her?!

"Don't you remember me?" Kagome whispered. The child blinked.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha repeated, "Who are you?"

Kagome felt tears slide down her cheeks. Everything felt cold about her. Suddenly, Kagome felt small hands touch her wet cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" Chibi Inuyasha asked, looking at her with wide violet eyes. Kagome hugged the child, and began crying into his kimono.

"Kagome," the girl whispered quietly, "My name is Kagome. Don't forget that. My name is Kagome, not Kikyo. Promise me you won't forget that I'm Kagome, not someone else."

"Ka-go-me," the little boy said, enunciating each syllable carefully, "You have a pretty name, Kagome." Kagome blushed.

"Thank you," Kagome murmured. 

"Do you know me, Kagome?" Chibi Inuyasha asked, looking her strait in the eye, "Do you?"

"What?!" Kagome cried, staring hard at the little human boy in her arms.

"Do you know me, Kagome?" he repeated. Kagome blinked, and began to open her mouth to answer the child's question, but then something strange started to happen. The white void that she had been floating in began to become dark and gray. Soon darkness enveloped the girl from the future, causing the void, the tree, and the boy to disappear.

And then Kagome awakened from her slumber, and like thousands of people before her, she promptly forgot her dream. 

Author-chan's notes: Kind of a fluffy chapter there, eh? Oh well, that's okay. If you noticed, Kagome's dreamscape is very white and bright (hey, I just rhymed! Cool!), while Inuyasha's dreamscape (refer to Chapter 4: Inner Conflict) is very black and dark. I'll keep visiting the various dreamscapes in this story. I wonder if I should visit the dreamscapes of other characters. Now _that_ might be interesting. 

****

Don't forget to vote for which anime character you want to see in the Disclaimer! And just so that you'll know, I might not get around to doing all the characters you vote for, so if you don't see your character in the Disclaimer, don't flame me! I'm hard pressed for time with school and various projects all around me! I most likely will do characters that I know, or characters that get asked for more than once. So don't take it personally if I don't use your character. {And remember, you can vote for Inuyasha characters too! *hint, hint!*}


	7. Void

Author-chan's notes: **KON'NICHI WA, MINNA-SAN!!!!!!** I just want to thank my friend Alex for taping the Inuyasha episodes for me! You're the best, dude!!! And since I'm kind of lazy today, I'm just gonna use my nephew's suggestion on who is going to do the Disclaimer. Now everyone give a round of applause (or you can scream in fear) as I introduce you to the Director and our mystery guests!!! *Author-chan disappears in a cloud of smoke*

*Disclaimer- *Director appears on set holding a bottle of sake. He seems to be partially drunk.*

Director- I hate {hic} my life! *takes a swig from the bottle* I have the worst {hic} job in existence! {hic} I hope I {hic} get hit by lightning and die! {hic} *takes another swig from the bottle*

*Suddenly Ash, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu appear*

Misty- Are you this is the right place, Ash?

Ash- Positive.

Misty- That's what you said five hours ago!

Brock- Misty, you should know by now that you should never trust Ash to lead us anywhere. He has the worse sense of direction ever.

Pikachu- *agreeing with Brock* Pi, pikachu!

Misty- Maybe we should ask someone where we are.

Brock- Good idea.

Misty- Hey, look guys! There's a guy over there! *points at the drunk Director*

Ash- *walking over to the Director* Um, excuse me? But do you know where Author-chan's house is?

Director- *looking at him with glazed eyes* Author {hic} chan's house? Yeah, I know where it is. You're standing in it.

Misty- *clapping her hands* That's great! We're here to do the Disclaimer for her!

Director- *eyes widening in fear* Get away from me!!! If you're here to do the Disclaimer, then you're here to torture me!!!

Brock- Now calm down, mister, we're not here to torture anybody.

Director- *Looking at Brock with an expression of pure terror* S-Seto Kaiba!!!! Your voice is the same as Kaiba's!!!! You're Kaiba in disguise!!!! *backs away from Brock*

Brock- Um, who's Seto Kaiba? I don't know anyone named Kaiba.

Director- Don't play games with me, Dragon boy!!! You may have fried me once, but you won't again! This time the Director will take charge!!! *pulls out a fork from inside his coat pocket, and brandishes it at Brock* 

Ash- Look, mister, I don't know who this Seto Kaiba is, or what he did to you, but I can assure you that Brock isn't him. 

Brock- Yeah! I'm one of the good guys! *takes a step towards the Director. Director brandishes the fork again*

Director- *crazily/drunkenly* Not a step closer, Seto Kaiba! I have a weapon of mass destruction, and I know how to use it! Muhahahahahahaha!!!!

Ash- I hate to disappoint you, but your weapon of mass destruction is really a fork.

Pikachu- *agreeing with Ash* Pika, pika! Pikachu!

Director- *glaring at Ash and Pikachu* Is not!!!

Misty- Maybe we should just do the Disclaimer and get out of here. That guy scares me. 

Ash- Good idea, Misty. Let's all say it together.

Misty and Brock- Right!

Ash, Misty, and Brock- **Author-chan does not own Inuyasha, Pokemon, Yugi-oh! or any other anime existing. She does however own the drunk Director who she tends to torture.**

Ash- Man, that felt weird. It was almost as if some unseen presence came and used our mouths to speak for it!

Misty- *shrugging* Oh well. Let's not worry about that now. We need to go back to our world.

Brock- You two go ahead. I want to talk to this guy, and try to convince him I'm not evil.

Ash and Misty- Good luck! *both of them disappear leaving Brock alone with the Director*

*A few minutes later, Brock catches up with them.*

Misty- Hey Brock! Were you able to convince the Director you weren't evil?

Brock- *sighs* Not really. But that's okay.

Ash- Why do you say that Brock?

Brock- *smirking, and looking very un-Brock like* Let's just say I was lying when I said I didn't know anyone named Seto Kaiba.

*Pan over to Author-chan's house. You see the Director in the mouth of a Blue-eyes White Dragon*

Author-chan- *looking up* Aw! Poor Director-chan! Did nice old Brock do this to you?

Director- *Pointing an accusing finger down at her* YOU KNEW!!!! 

Author-chan- *smirking* That Brock's voice actor is also Kaiba's voice actor? Of course I did. 

Director- So I was right! Brock and Seto Kaiba are the same person!!!!

Author-chan- Well duh. How else would you explain how Brock got a Blue-eyes White Dragon?

Director- *glaring* I hate you.

Author-chan- *smiling cutely* I know. Have fun with your new chew toy, Blue-eyes! *Author-chan leaves*

Blue-eyes- ROAR!!! *bites the Director*

Director- OW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE YOU AUTHOR-CHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Seven: Void)

Inside Inuyasha/Shiro's Dreamscape

Shiro awoke, groaning to himself, only to find himself in the dreamscape again. Now that he was in the dreamscape, he remembered his previous visit there, even though he couldn't remember it when he was in the waking world. (AN: In the dreamscape, Shiro will be able to remember things from his pervious visit{s} there, but he can't remember them in the real world.) Like before, Shiro was surrounded by a dark endless void. Shiro was leaning against the old tree he had seen the last time he was in the dreamscape. He started to scan the dreamscape, hoping he would be able to see Inuyasha, his older self, but the hanyou was nowhere in sight. He continued to look, until his eyes landed on someone before him. It was not Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha?" the girl before Shiro asked. Shiro blinked. How did this girl know his other self's name? He started to observer her very closely. She had long black hair (not as long as his though) that framed a delicate face with wide gray eyes, a small nose, and a gentle mouth. The girl looked to be about the same age as his other self, Inuyasha, or maybe even a year younger. She wore a strange kimono; it was _extremely_ short, for one thing. But Shiro had to admit it; this older girl was _very_ beautiful.

"Who are you?" Shiro asked. Those were the first words the little guy could think of. The girl's eyes widened in shock. Shiro's eyebrows drew together at her reaction. Did he just say something wrong?

"Don't you remember me?" the girl whispered. Shiro shook his head.

"Who are you?" Shiro repeated, "Who are you?"

Suddenly, tears started to fall from the girl's gray eyes. Shiro blinked. Why was she crying? Was she hurt or something? He stood up, and walked up to the girl. Placing his tiny hands on her cheeks, he tried to wipe away some of here tears.

"Why are you crying?" Shiro asked, tilting his head to one side, confused at the girl's actions. Suddenly, she hugged the child, and began crying into his red kimono.

"Kagome," the girl hiccuped into Shiro's shirt, "My name is Kagome. Don't forget that. My name is Kagome, not Kikyo. Promise me you won't forget that I'm Kagome, not someone else." Shiro only become more confused. Who was Kikyo?

"Ka-go-me," Shiro said, playing with the syllables of Kagome's name. A small smile fluttered across his face for a moment, "You have a pretty name, Kagome."

"Thank you," Kagome said, blushing. Suddenly, Shiro had an idea.

"Do you know me, Kagome?" Shiro asked, looking strait into Kagome's gray eyes, "Do you?"

"What?!" Kagome gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

"Do you know me, Kagome?" Shiro repeated carefully. Kagome blinked at the boy for a moment, then she opened her mouth to respond. But before she could say anything, she started to glow in an unearthly light. In a few moments, Kagome dissolved into glowing particles of light that looked like silver glitter. 

"KAGOME!!!!" a voice behind Shiro cried. Shiro turned to see Inuyasha, looking at the spot where Kagome was in horror. Then the hanyou collapsed onto his hunches, still staring at the spot where Kagome once stood. He bent his head down so that his silver hair covered his face. (AN: From now on _in the dreamscapes_ Inuyasha's older hanyou self will be called Inuyasha and his little human self will be called Shiro. _In the real/waking world,_ since Inuyasha and Shiro will be sharing a body and a mind, their names will both be used interchangeably and will_ just _be referring to the five-year-old human version of Inu-chan, not the two different versions. Gosh, I'm confusing!)

"Inuyasha?" Shiro began, sitting down next to his other self.

"Go away," Inuyasha muttered. Shiro blinked.

"Were am I supposed to go?" Shiro asked.

"Do play games with me, _Shiro_!" Inuyasha snarled, turning his head to glare at the human child. Shiro glared back.

"I'm not playing games!!!!" Shiro yelled, growling at his older self. The two forms of Inuyasha glared at each other for sometime, until Shiro broke the silence.

"So who was that girl?" the human child asked.

"None of your business!" his hanyou form snarled. Shiro growled, and then hit his older self on the arm.

"Baka! It _is_ to my business!" Shiro yelled, "I wanna know who Kagome is and how she's important to us! And I want to know NOW!!!!" Both of them glared at each other for a minute more, until Inuyasha turned his head away.

"Kagome is just the Tama detector. That's it," Inuyasha muttered.

"Feh!" Shiro snorted, "You're expecting _me_ to believe that?! You looked like you had lost part of your soul when Kagome disappeared. She can't just be a 'Tama detector', whatever that means." Inuyasha turned his head to face Shiro again. His eyes were as hard as rock.

"What do you know?" Inuyasha snarled, "You're just a kid!"

"I'm _you_!" Shiro shot back, "So what does Kagome mean to you, er, us?"

"That wench means _nothing_ to me!" Inuyasha growled. Suddenly, Shiro's eyes widened, as he got an idea.

"You _like_ her don't you?" Shiro asked, his voice filled with awe, "You want to mate with her and have pups with her, just like how Aki wants to do with Miho!" Inuyasha blushed.

"Yeah right!" Inuyasha huffed, turning his head so that Shiro wouldn't see his blush.

"Oh yeah?" Shiro said, smirking, "You know, your face is the exact color of our kimonos right now." 

"Shut up!" Inuyasha snarled, wiping a sleeve across his face in a fruitless attempt to get rid of the evil little red cheeks. Shiro grinned evilly. Then the dark void of the dreamscape began to brighten.

"Damn!" Shiro growled, "See you the next time we fall asleep, Inuyasha!" Shiro's hanyou self growled, and muttered something under his breath. The last thing Shiro saw before he woke up was Inuyasha wiping his cheek on his sleeve, still blushing.

***

In Kaede's hut with Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo

"Kagome? Kagome?" Sango murmured, trying to waken the other girl. Kagome moaned slightly as her eyes fluttered open.

"What happened?" Kagome asked, holding her head, "I feel as if I got ran over by a bus!"

"What's a bus, Kagome?" Shippo asked, bounding over to her pallet. Kagome giggled, and caught the little kitsune in her arms.

"A bus is a mode of transportation in my time," Kagome explained.

"Kind of like a carriage?" Shippo asked.

"Yep!" Kagome smiled, "Except a bus is a lot bigger, and it doesn't need horses to move."

"Weird," Shippo and Sango said at the same time. Kagome laughed. 

"So what happened to me?" Kagome asked again, looking at Sango. Sango frowned slightly.

"That idiotic monk over there put sleeping herbs in you food to knock you out," Sango explained, gesturing to Miroku, who had giant bumps on his head, "According to Kaede, he feed you herbs to knock out a Great Demon for a week! Luckily, you didn't eat too much, and Kaede was able to force some antidotes down your throat while you were asleep. If you had eaten a mouthful more, you might have slept for a month!"

"What happened to Miroku-sama?" Kagome asked, indicating the huge bumps on the monk's head.

"Sango," Shippo chirped.

"Ah," Kagome nodded sagely.

"That baka deserved it!" Sango huffed. Kaede suddenly entered the hut.

"I see that ye are doing much better, Kagome," Kaede noted, "Did ye have any dreams while ye were sleeping?"

"Now that you mention it, I did," Kagome admitted.

"Do you remember it?" Sango asked.

"Uh, no," Kagome said. Everyone sweat dropped.

"Nothing? Nothing at all?" Kaede asked.

"Only little bits and pieces," Kagome replied, "Why? It was only a dream. It's not like it's important or anything."

"Actually, 'tis very important," Kaede said.

"One of the herbs that Miroku put into your stew has a strange side affect," Sango explained, "It makes you dream true dreams about the person you were thinking about last before you wake up. Also, if the person you dreamt about was dreaming at the same time that you were, you two would actually meet in the World of Dreams, also called the dreamscape."

"So, who was the last person you were thinking about when you went to sleep, Kagome?" Shippo asked.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, "That must mean that I had a true dream about Inuyasha!"

"Or you met him in the dreamscape," Kaede added.

"Mou!!! This is so frustrating! I might have known important information of Inuyasha's whereabouts, and instead I forget that information! It's not fair!" Kagome wailed.

"There is a reason why you forgot that dream," Sango said, "Another herb that Miroku put in your food has the side affect of making someone forget their dream when they awake." 

"WHAT?!!!" Kagome cried.

"Sorry Kagome," Shippo shrugged.

"Do you think I could take that true dream herb again?" Kagome asked.

"I do not see why not," Kaede shrugged as she turned to Miroku, "Miroku-san, do you any more of those herbs?"

"I'm all out," Miroku said, speaking up for the first time.

"Can you get some more?" Kagome asked.

"Kagome-sama, that particular herb has to be prepared in a certain manner to produce the effect you want, and very few people know how to prepare that herb. I know I can't! And since very few people know how to prepare the herb –not to mention it's very rare –that herb is _extremely_ expensive. You can't get it just anywhere," Miroku told her.

"Then how did you get your hands on it in the first place?" Sango asked.

"A nice peddler gave the herb to me," Miroku replied. Sango raised an eyebrow.

"In other words, you stole it," Sango said icily. 

"Sango! I'm shocked that you think that a man of my station would steal!" Miroku cried. Sango rolled her eyes.

"Do you think that we can find that peddler again and ask for some more herbs?" Kagome wondered. 

"I guess we could," Miroku said, "But the village where I got the herb is very far away from here. It might take us a week or so to get there. Plus, I can't guarantee that the peddler is still there."

"Well, that's a chance we're going to have to take," Sango said as she strapped her Hiraikotsu to her back. Kagome nodded, and picked up her bow and arrows.

"We'll see you later, Kaede," Kagome said with a smile as she walked out of the hut with Shippo on her shoulder. Sango followed her. Miroku sighed, picked up his staff, and went with them. Kaede sighed to herself.

__

'Methinks that something is behind all of this,' Kaede thought.

Author-chan's notes: Phew! Finished! Hope you liked it!

And yes, believe it or not, Seto Kaiba and Brock have the same voice actor, at least in the dubbed versions. I was so freaked out when I learned that. And if you doubt what I say, just think about how Brock's voice sounds like. Then think about how Seto's voice sounds like. Notice any similarities?

Oh, a reviewer asked me to stop writing the long Disclaimers. So, I want to know if you all want to get rid of the anime character guest appearances, and just go back to the short Disclaimers like the ones I used in the first couple of chapters. Also tell me if you want me to continue doing the anime Disclaimers, and what character you want to do it. (Please don't forget to mention which anime their from. Sometimes different anime shows use the same name for some of their characters. For example, there is a Touya in _The Legend of Ceres_, and _Card Captor Sakura_. Not to mention that I might not know that particular anime character personally, and I might want to look him/her up.)


	8. First Strike

Author-chan's notes: **HI!!!!** I'd like you all to meet chapter eight! 

*Disclaimer- *Director appears holding a giant crate. There are dark circles beneath his eyes; he hasn't slept in over a week. He wears an expression that is a combination of paranoia, sleepiness, and insanity. Hey! A three in one combo! Sugoi!*

Director- *putting down the crate and sitting on it* Now that I have a large supply of medical supplies, I'm prepared for anything! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

*A giant flame wall appears behind the Director as he laughs triumphantly/insanely. Suddenly, girl-Ranma falls out of the sky and lands right in front of the Director*

Ranma- *grumbling* Stupid Akane! I only said that she looked fat in that dress! Why did she have to take it so personally?

Director- *staring at Ranma in fear* W-who are you? *Ranma turns to the Director*

Ranma- I'm Ranma. Sorry about crashing through your roof.

Director- It's not mine. It's Author-chan's roof. *looking at Ranma suspiciously* Do you know about Author-chan?

*Ranma shakes his/her head. The Director sighs in relief* 

Director- I guess that means you're not here to do the Disclaimer. And that means that you're not here to torture me! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!

Ranma- Um, can you tell me were I can find Taiyo Tsuki? I'm looking for her. Me and that un-cute tomboy, Akane, are supposed to do something for her.

Director- I never heard of Taiyo Tsuki. But that's okay! You can stay here!

Ranma- *blinking* Huh?

Director- Look, you're cute, doll. I'm lonely, you're not going anywhere anytime soon, so why don't we just go out on a date, hum? 

Ranma- *getting freaked out* Are you hitting on me?!

Director- *rolling his eyes* Duh, doll. What's the matter? Do you have a boyfriend?

Ranma- HELL NO!!!!

Director- *smirking* Then let me be your boyfriend! *Director tries to kiss Ranma. Ranma sends him flying through the roof with a punch*

Ranma- DIE, YOU FREAK!!!!

*Suddenly Akane appears*

Akane- *pulling out her mallet* RANMA!!!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO THAT POOR MAN?!!!!!!!!!

Ranma- A-Akane! You don't understand!

Akane- *looking very evil* Oh, I understand all right!

****

*WHAM!!!* Akane slams her mallet on Ranma's head.

Akane- You're such a jerk, Ranma!

*The Director comes crashing back to earth to land right in front of Akane*

Director- Ow! That doll sure can hit hard. More reason for why she should be my girlfriend! *Director turns to see Ranma on the ground* Oh doll!!! What happened to you?! *Director picks up Ranma and hugs him/her*

Ranma- G-get off me, you freak!!!

*Author-chan reappears on scene*

Author-chan- DIRECTOR!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO RANMA?!!!

Director- *gives Author-chan puppy-dog eyes* Can I keep her? PWEASE?

Author-chan- *growling* NO!!! **Ranma doesn't belong to you or me! Ranma ½ and Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi! Not me!!!!**

Director- *pouting* Aw!

Author-chan- Besides, Director, Ranma is Akane's fiancé! 

Director- But, Akane is a girl!

Akane- And Ranma is a _boy_! *pulls out a kettle of hot water and pours it on Ranma. Girl-Ranma turns into boy-Ranma*

Director- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! DOLL IS ACTUALLY A BOY!!!!

Author-chan- Duh! That's why they call the show Ranma _½_! *turning to Ranma* How ya feeling Ranma?

Ranma- I'm feeling fine, Taiyo Tsuki.

Director- *interrupting* HOLD UP!!! Why did you just call Author-chan Taiyo Tsuki?

Author-chan- *rolling her eyes* Taiyo Tsuki is one of my various nicknames. I thought I told you that _ages_ ago!

Director- *blushing* Oh, yeah…

Akane- I guess you don't need me and Ranma anymore since you already did the Disclaimer.

Author-chan- *blinking* I did?

Akane- Yeah, you said the Disclaimer a little while ago. It's in the bold type. Just scroll up a little bit.

Author-chan- Oh, you right! Silly me! Thanks anyway, though! It was fun having you here!

*Ranma and Akane disappear*

Director- *glaring at Author-chan* You knew I was going to expect a physical attack, didn't you? So instead you set it up so I would get wounded emotionally! This was the most embarrassing day of my life!!! I thought a guy was a girl! I feel so stupid!!! I hope you know that you scarred me for life!!!!

Author-chan- Don't feel bad, Director! You aren't the only one who does that.

Director- Oh? Name a person.

Author-chan- *looking very mischievous* Well, there's this guy with a wooden sword…

*Somewhere far away, Kuno sneezes*

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Eight: First Strike)

Back in Aki's hut

Shiro awoke with an aching head. Sitting up in the bed, he blinked slowly as he tried to remember his dream. All he go was a handful of broken images: Hard golden eyes, a white banner of some sort (or was it hair?), a red sleeve brushing across equally red cheeks, tearful gray eyes, a tall majestic tree, and…and…

"I can't remember," Shiro murmured to himself. He shrugged it off, though. After all, it was just a silly dream.

"Shiro-chan?" a voice next to him murmured. Shiro turned his head.

"Kimiko?" Shiro blinked at the girl sitting next to him, "Where are we?"

"Back at our hut," Kimiko answered, "You fainted, and we had to carry you back home."

"WHAT?!!!" Shiro/Inuyasha screeched, "Why the hell did you have to carry me back here like I was some sort of helpless child?!!!"

"You _are_ a helpless child, Shiro-chan!" Kimiko huffed. The boy glared at her.

"No, I'm not!!!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Then what are you?" Kimiko shot back. Shiro froze. What was he then?

"I-I don't know," the boy answered in defeat. Kimiko sighed.

"Everyone needs help once in awhile, Shiro-chan," Kimiko said, "Even fearless dog-boys like you."

"Feh!" Inuyasha sneered, turning his head away from the girl.

"I'll go get Onii-san, and see if he could make you something to eat," Kimiko murmured, before she got up and left the room. As soon as she disappeared, Shiro looked down at his tiny hands. 

"What am I then?" Inuyasha murmured to his palms. The air was silent; he was given no answer.

***

Outside the hut with Miho and Aki

Aki was leaning against the wall of his hut, looking at Miho. Part of him was dazed by Miho's very presence, but the only thing that was keeping him from becoming a blubbering mass of blushes was his concern for Shiro. The magician frowned to himself. Why did Shiro faint like that? It didn't seem natural.

"I'm worried about him," Miho murmured. Aki nodded in agreement.

"Can you tell me what happened when Shiro-chan fainted?" Aki asked. Miho sighed.

"There's not much to tell," Miho admitted, "We were just talking, then suddenly, the poor boy toppled over."

"I don't like this," Aki muttered, "Shiro could have a deadly illness, and he doesn't remember it!"

"He might not have an illness at all," Miho countered, "You said you rescued him from some man wearing a baboon pelt, ne?"

"That's right," Aki nodded.

"What if the man did something to Shiro-chan before you got there?" Miho reasoned, "Maybe the man hit Shiro in a certain way that makes him faint whenever he's exposed to too much heat or something."

"I doubt that," Aki said, "The man wanted to _kill_ Shiro, not wound him."

"I wish Shiro had his memories," Miho sighed, "He'd probably be able to tell us exactly what is going on."

"Onii-san?" Kimiko interrupted, walking out of the hut. Aki turned to face his sister.

"Yes?" Aki asked.

"Shiro-chan is awake," Kimiko said simply.

"Thank you, Kimi-chan," Aki said, "You've been a big help." Aki started to walk into the hut, but Kimiko grabbed his sleeve.

"Um, Onii-san," Kimiko began, "Before you go in, I want to tell you something. While Shiro-chan was asleep, he started talking to himself. He said something about someone named 'Kagome'. Maybe this 'Kagome' is from Shiro-chan's past!"

"'Kagome', hmm?" Aki mused, "That sounds like a girl's name. I wonder if 'Kagome' is Shiro-chan's sister."

"I don't think so, Onii-san," Kimiko murmured, "The way Shiro-chan called out to Kagome, he seemed to care _more_ for her than if she was his sister."

"Oh? Explain," Aki demanded, raising an eyebrow. Kimiko paused.

"Shiro acted like you do around Miho-san," Kimiko said after thinking about it, "He even blushed in his sleep!"

"You have a wild imagination, Kimiko-chan," Miho said, walking over to the two siblings, "Shiro-chan is too young to like someone romantically."

"You're right, Miho-san," Kimiko admitted, "But I think that there is more to Shiro-chan then meets the eye."

"I agree," Aki said, "Shiro-chan is more mysterious than I am!"

"How are you mysterious, Aki-san?" Miho asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Eep!" Aki blanched. He couldn't tell her about his magic!

"ByeMihosan,gottagohelpShiro!" Aki said in a rush. Then he dashed into the hut. Miho and Kimiko blinked in confusion.

"Is it just me, or is Aki-san a bit paranoid?" Miho asked out loud. Kimiko shrugged.

***

Back inside the hut with Inuyasha/Shiro

Shiro was sitting on the cot, thinking about what Kimiko said before she had left. Who was he? _What _was he? Was he really a child? Something inside of him said "no". But that was impossible, right? He certainly looked like a child. Didn't that make him a child?

"This is confusing," Inuyasha muttered quietly to himself. He began to unconsciously play with his rosary/necklace. Shiro never noticed that the rosary began emitting bluish sparks as he was toying with it.

"Shiro-chan?" Aki called. Immediately, Inuyasha's hands pulled away from his neck as soon as Aki walked into the room.

__

"That's odd," Aki thought to himself, _"I could have sworn that Shiro-chan's necklace was glowing blue. Oh well. It must have been a trick of the light."_

"Are you feeling better, Shiro-chan?" Aki asked out loud.

"Feh!" Shiro growled, "You're all going crazy just 'cause I got too much sun. I'm fine!" Aki laughed softly.

"Whatever you say, Shiro-chan," Aki said, ruffling the boy's hair, "Whatever you say."

***

In the hut, a few days later, with Aki, Kimiko, and Inuyasha/Shiro

Shiro and Kimiko were sitting on the floor of the hut, playing with a top. Or at least Kimiko was playing, while Inuyasha was watching the top twirl around with a bored expression on his face. Aki was preparing beans for the evening meal in a corner. The magician began humming a song softly to himself as he worked. 

"Aki?" Shiro said out of the blue. Aki broke off his song to look at the little boy

"Hmm?" Aki asked. Inuyasha squinted slightly at him.

"Where did you learn that song?" Shiro asked, "It sounds familiar." Aki blinked.

"Does that mean you're getting your memories back, Shiro-chan?" Kimiko asked happily. The boy shrugged.

"Don't know," Inuyasha murmured, "So where did you learn that song, Aki?"

"I heard that song," Aki began slowly, "during one of my travels. I don't remember the exact location of where I heard it, but I still remember the song because it felt as if I was drawn by its music."

"Too bad you don't remember were you heard that song, Onii-san," Kimiko remarked, "I bet that Shiro-chan came from that area. That's why that song was familiar to him."

"I doubt it," Aki said seriously, "Shiro-chan is as likely to come from that place as the sun is to fall from the sky! It is impossible for him to have come from there."

"How can you be sure?" Inuyasha asked. 

"I just do, alright?!" Aki snapped. Shiro snorted.

"Feh! You sure are cranky," Shiro muttered, "I'm going out into the village."

"What?!" Aki cried, jumping up from his seat, spilling the beans on to the floor, "You can't go wandering about the village by yourself! You don't know your way around!"

"Yes I do!" Shiro retorted, "Kimiko showed me around earlier, remember?"

"What if you faint again?" Aki pointed out, "We won't be there to help you."

"I'm not a baby, Aki," Inuyasha snorted, "I can take care of myself."

"Shiro…" Aki began to growl. Kimiko caught her brother's sleeve. 

"Let him go," Kimiko sighed, "Shiro-chan has a stubborn streak so wide and thick, even the most powerful of youkai would choke on it. He has more stubbornness than any five-year-old I've ever known. Actually he has more stubbornness than anyone I know, period." 

"Fine, you can go, Shiro," Aki sighed, waving a hand in defeat, "But be back soon."

"You worry too much, Aki," Shiro scoffed as he walked out the door. The magician sighed, and sat back down. Kimiko patted his arm.

"He's right you know," Kimiko said, "You do worry too much. You've hardly known Shiro for a week, and already you hover over him like a protective mother duck."

"Can you blame me?" Aki asked bitterly, "That boy has more mysteries about him than even _I_ do. And it's not just because he lost his memories of his past, it's other things. His fainting spells are obviously serious. That baboon man is a strange mystery; why was he trying to kill a harmless child? A few days ago, I could have sworn that Shiro-chan's necklace was giving off magical light, and now, it's that song!"

"What's so special about that song you were humming earlier, anyway, Onii-san?" Kimiko asked. Aki gave his sister a hard look.

"That song hasn't even been invented yet," Aki said, "I heard it when I had a dream of the future a few years ago. And when I mean future, I don't mean the near future, I'm talking about the _far_ future. That song I was singing won't be invented for another five hundred years or so. It's called _'Blue As the Sky'_. How could Shiro-chan know about a song from the future? Could it be that he is a magician like me?"

"That would make sense," Kimiko nodded, "That would explain why the monkey man was after Shiro-chan; there are a lot of people out there who hate magic. And if Shiro-chan has magic, it would explain why his necklace was giving off a magical aura, and why he knew a song from the future; for all we know, Shiro-chan has dreams of the future." 

"That boy is a mystery," Aki sighed, "And I have a feeling that there are people out there who will track Shiro-chan down because of that mystery."

"Good people, or bad people?" Kimiko asked. Aki raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a rhetorical question, Kimi-chan?" Aki asked.

***

Back in the village with Miho

Miho had finished all her chores for the day, and was now taking a walk. The girl sighed to herself. Even though she had known Shiro-chan for only a little while, she felt worried for the boy. He seemed so fragile when she carried him home; he hardly weighed anything. She couldn't quite explain it, but Miho felt that Shiro was ill, very ill. Even before the boy had fainted, the moment Miho laid eyes on the amethyst-eyed boy, she could tell there was something very _wrong_ about him. And when Kimiko had said that Shiro had lost his memories, Miho became even more positive that the boy was sick. 

Ever since she was a little girl, Miho could tell when people were healthy or not. Something about their presence told her if they were completely whole. And for some reason, Miho felt as if Shiro wasn't completely there. And it wasn't just his memories either. Shiro was missing something that he should have. It was almost as if he was missing half of his body. Or his soul.

"I just don't understand what's wrong with Shiro-chan!" Miho complained out loud. Sighing again, the young woman decided to walk towards the forest rather than heading back towards her hut. Leaning against one of the huge trees, Miho decided to take a rest.

**__**

"Mortal! Do thou know of he who is connected to the Shikon no Tama?" a chilling voice whispered in Miho's ear. Miho jerked in surprise. Glancing around her, the young woman could see no one.

"W-who is there?" Miho asked in a shaky voice, "Answer me!"

**__**

"Do thou know of he who knows of the Shikon no Tama?" the voice hissed again. Miho looked around again, but sighted no being.

"'Shikon no Tama'?" Miho blinked, still trying to find the owner of the mysterious voice, "I don't know anything of this Shikon no Tama."

**__**

"But do thou know of he who knows of the Shikon Jewel?" the voice prodded. 

"Leave me alone!" Miho cried suddenly. Then she started to run.

**__**

"Mortal fool!" the voice growled. Strong rope-like _things_ wrapped themselves around Miho's legs, causing her to trip and fall. When she glanced down at it, Miho realized that it was spider webbing.

"Ow…" the girl moaned. Looking up, she came face to face with something that could only come from her worse nightmares. A spider youkai.

**__**

"Let us try a different approach, shall we?" the creature hissed. Miho felt sick.

**__**

"Now, do thou know of a boy who wears red garments and a sword by his hip? And does he wear a rosary about his neck as well?" Miho's eyes widened when she heard the description. Her youkai captor smiled coldly at her.

**__**

"Ah! So thou do know of him. Excellent. Thou shall make the perfect bait," the youkai grinned. Miho cringed at the sight.

"What do you want with Shiro-chan?" Miho asked fearfully, "He's only a boy!"

**__**

"Only a boy? Thou must have your eyes checked, mortal!" he hissed,**_ "He is more than that. Much more…"_**

Author-chan's notes: You probably all are wondering how in the world does Inuyasha know the song _"Blue As the Sky"._ Well let's just say that Kagome has brought her CD player to the Feudal Ages a couple of times, and she just happens to like Card Captor Sakura music. And since Inu-chan has such sensitive ears, he was able to hear it, even though Kagome wore headphones. (If you read my CCS fanfic "Parties and Bets: Special Edition" I make a reference to _"Blue As the Sky"_ in there too. That song is just so cool!!!!)

So can anyone guess what that spider youkai has against Inuyasha? I bet that some of you already know. If you don't, just think back in the manga, just when we discover something very important about our favorite hanyou.

Please R+R!!! Thanks!!!


	9. Masato and Kumo

Author-chan's notes: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Here's chapter nine!!!! Enjoy!

*Disclaimer- *Director appears dressed up like Santa*

Director- *grumbling* Tell me why I have to wear this stupid thing again.

Author-chan- *starry eyes* Because you look so kawaii! 

Director- *vein popping out from his forehead* "Kawaii"? What does that mean? Are you insulting me?!

Author-chan- *muttering under her breath* Remind me to get you a new Japanese/English Dictionary. 

Director- *glaring* Well?! What does it mean?!

Author-chan- *rolling her eyes* Never mind. Now do the disclaimer Santa!

Director- *grumbling* **Author-chan does not own Inuyasha or any other anime. She does however own any original characters that are in her stories and the plot.**

Author-chan- *pats Director's head* Good Director-chan!

Director- You know, you didn't bring in any anime character today.

Author-chan- You're right! I better do that!

Director- *eyes widening in fear* NO!!!!

Author-chan- *smiling sweetly* Alright, Director. For Christmas you can have the day off. You won't be tortured today.

Director- *sighs in relief*

Author-chan- But that means I get to bring in two or maybe even three anime characters next time! Muhahahahahahaha!!!! 

Director- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Nine: Masato and Kumo)

Back inside the hut with Aki and Kimiko

"I'm going to go after Shiro-chan, alright Kimi-chan?" Aki said, standing up.

"But Shiro wants some time alone!" Kimiko protested.

"Well he can have some time alone here in the hut with us," Aki said, walking to the door, "He's going to get into trouble."

"You worry too much," Kimiko sighed.

"I'm an old man. I'm supposed to worry," Aki grumbled.

"You're only sixteen!" Kimiko cried.

"So? I'm still an old man," Aki said stubbornly.

***

In the village with Inuyasha/Shiro

__

"Feh! Aki worries so much about me, you'd think he was my mother!" Inuyasha thought to himself, _"I mean we've only known each other for a week! Sheesh! And how did Aki find me anyway. He kind of skimmed over that part; he just said he saved me from some guy trying to kill me. Why would anyone want to kill me? I'm just a kid. A kid with no memories."_

Shiro sighed to himself. He wondered who he _really _was. The poor boy was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the group of boys in front of him, until he crashed into them.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, pipsqueak!" the boy he crashed into yelled. Inuyasha glared at him. All of the boys were older then him. They ranged from the ages of eight to sixteen. The boy he had crashed into was about Aki's age. This boy was taller than Aki by a couple inches. He had dark brown eyes and strait black hair that fell to his shoulders. The teenaged boy used a strip of leather as a headband to hold back his wild mane of hair (of course, it didn't do much). 

"Who ya calling a pipsqueak?!" Shiro growled.

"Oh! You seemed to have gotten the little sprout all fired up, Masato," a ten year old boy of the group piped up.

"Stop calling me little!" Inuyasha growled, "I'm old enough and big enough to look after myself!"

"Whatever kid," Masato, the boy who Inuyasha ran into, said, "You look like you could be fish bait!" Inuyasha/Shiro gave them his famous growl. The boys laughed.

"Hahahahahahaha!!! He sounds like my dog!" a twelve-year-old boy commented.

"Yeah, I think he wants to be a puppy dog!" another boy giggled. 

"Well, if he wants to be a dog, then he can get thrashed like one," Masato said, with a wicked grin. Shiro glared at him.

"Bring it on!" Inuyasha yelled, "I can beat you!" The boys laughed some more.

"He's a really funny guy, eh, Masato?" one boy said. Masato nodded.

"Yeah, he's a funny guy who is about to get his face rearranged," Masato smirked. Shiro, hating to be ignored like this, took action. He kicked Masato in the shin as hard as he could. Masato swore like a trooper.

"Why you little brat!" Masato yelled, he face contorted with rage and pain, "I'll kill you!"

"Whatever," Inuyasha muttered, rolling his eyes. Masato glared at the five-year-old.

"Prepare to die, pipsqueak!" Masato yelled, lunging at Shiro. But before Masato could even touch him, Shiro had disappeared.

"What the?!" Masato cried, when he crashed on the ground. The teenager looked up. Dangling in the air was his prey. Aki had come in the nick of time to rescue the little boy again. The magician sighed as he held Shiro by the scruff of his neck.

"Don't you ever stay out of trouble, Shiro-chan?" Aki asked. Shiro/Inuyasha glared at his rescuer.

"Do you ever stop mothering me, Aki?" Inuyasha growled, "Now put me down! I feel like a pup in that's being carried around by his mother!"

"Well, we can fix that," Aki muttered. Then he hoisted Shiro over his shoulder, and carried the boy like a sack of rice. Inuyasha growled.

"You know this pipsqueak, Aki?" Masato sneered, standing up. Aki turned to Masato.

"Yes, I do," the magician answered calmly. Masato glared at Aki. Masato and Aki had never gotten along. Masato was in love with Miho, and so was Aki. And that made the two rivals. 

"I should have know that a freak like you would keep company with a brat like him!" Masato snarled, glaring at the two. 

"Who ya calling a brat, brat?!" Shiro yelled, struggling to get out of Aki's grasp, "Now put me down, Aki!!! I'm gonna chop this guy up like liver!" Aki sighed. 

"We're going home, Shiro-chan," Aki said, "And you are going to take a nap. You're a bit cranky today."

"I'm not a baby!!!" Inuyasha snarled, still struggling to get away from his captor. Aki turned to Masato.

"I'm very sorry that Shiro-chan bothered you, Masato-san," Aki said politely to his rival, "I hope he didn't give you too much trouble."

"Ha! That's a laugh, Aki!" Masato sneered, "That little brat over your shoulder is a menace. He should be locked up."

"Well, if I have to be locked up, then so do you!" Shiro yelled. Masato glared at the little boy.

"So how are you related to this brat, freak?" Masato asked Aki. Aki paused for a moment.

"He's my brother." And then, everything froze.

***

In the forest with Miho and the spider youkai

Miho was ready to vomit. The spider youkai that had captured her, now had tied her to a tree using its webbing. Miho hated the way the webbing felt. It was wet, sticky, and it smelled horrible. But that wasn't what was making her sick. It was the spider youkai itself. It looked like a giant spider web made out of flesh, with hands at the ends, and a head in the middle. Every time Miho looked at it, she began to get a little green at the gills.

**__**

"What is the matter, mortal?" the youkai hissed, **_"Thou looks a little rotten."_**

"Let me go," Miho moaned, "Please, let me go."

**__**

"Not until I get my revenge!," the spider growled, **_"For now, thou shall stay with me!"_**

"What do you want with Shiro-chan?" Miho asked quietly, "He didn't do anything to you."

**__**

"It is true that one did nothing to me," the demon admitted, **_"But he gave my brother no mercy! And for that, he shall pay with his life!"_**

"I don't understand what you mean!" Miho wailed, "Shiro-chan is too young, too small, and too weak to have done anything to a youkai! He is innocent, I tell you! Innocent!"

**__**

"Lies!!! He is no more a child then I am!" the spider youkai yelled, bringing its gruesome face close to Miho's. The girl turned her head away from the sight and closed her eyes tight.

"Please let this be a dream, please let this be a dream, please let this be a dream, please let this be a dream," Miho whispered over and over again, hoping that some god would hear her plea. The youkai chuckled. 

**__**

"Well, my dear, I believe it is time for stage two of my plan," the youkai whispered in her ear. Miho closed her eyes even tighter.

"Don't hurt Shiro-chan," Miho pleaded, tears forming around her eyes. The youkai laughed again.

**__**

"Thou do know that pitiful crying does not do anything," the youkai commented, **_"Now sit still. I have a mind to do something I have waited ages to do."_** Miho cringed as the demon's hot breath came closer to her face.

__

'It's going to eat me!' Miho wailed in her mind, her eyes still clamped shut. But to her surprise, a hand gently turned her head slightly, and warm lips gave her a passionate kiss. Miho felt a spark go threw her body. Time stood still as the young woman was caught up in a magical moment that she could not understand. When the kiss ended, Miho opened her eyes to see not a horrifying monster, but a handsome young man with ruby eyes looking down at her. The man, like her, looked (and felt) a bit dazed, as they had both experienced a strange power lancing through them that neither could see. The man recovered first. He smirked at the slowly recovering Miho.

**__**

"Thou look surprised," the man said in the spider demon's voice, **_"Did thou not know that some youkai can take human form?"_** Miho simply gaped in horror at him. The young man licked his lips and smiled at her.

**__**

"My elder brother was right," the disguised youkai marveled, **_"Human kisses do taste sweeter than their blood. My name is Kumo. You have my permission to use it, my pet." _**

"I am _not _your pet," Miho said icily.

**__**

"I shall return shortly," Kumo announced. The youkai then turned away, and left Miho alone in the clearing. The girl shuttered. She was too busy worrying about what Kumo was going to do to her that she didn't notice the shadowy figure watching her. The hidden person threw some invisible powder at Miho, then disappeared.

***

Back in the village with Aki, Inuyasha/Shiro, Masato, and Masato's crew

__

'B-brother?!' Shiro thought to himself, _'Is Aki telling the truth? Am I his brother? It all makes sense now! Why Aki was so protective over me, why Kimiko was so nice to me, and why Miho was so gentle! But why didn't they tell me? Why didn't Kimiko or Aki just come right out and say that I was their brother? It doesn't make sense!_

'Of course it doesn't make sense!' another voice growled.

'_Who said that?' _Shiro asked.

__

'Me,' the voice answered.

__

'Who are you, and how are you in my head?' Shiro asked.

__

'I'm you_, remember?'_ the voice muttered, _'But then again, you wouldn't remember our talks in the dreamscape 'cause of that stupid piece of jewelry!!!'_

'Huh?' Shiro blinked.

__

'Never mind,' the voice grumbled as it started to fade into nothingness,_ 'Just listen to Aki.' _Then the voice disappeared.

"So this brat is your brother, eh Aki?" Masato sneered.

"Yes," Aki said confidently. 

"If he's your brother, then why haven't we seen him until now?" Masato asked.

"B-because, um," Aki began to stutter.

"Hey! There's someone approaching the village!" one of Masato's crew called, interrupting Aki. Everyone turned to see a man running towards the village. He stopped running when he reached the group of boys. Placing his hands on his knees, the stranger bent down slightly to take a breather. 

"What brings you here, stranger?" Aki asked politely. 

"Youkai…kidnapped…young woman…must save," the man panted, not looking up. The village boys looked at each other. 

"How do you know this?" Masato asked. 

"Saw it," the man replied shortly. 

"Can you describe the woman? Or the youkai?" one of Masato's crew asked.

"The woman was about sixteen years of age," the man began after he caught his breath, "She had long black hair that fell to her waist, full red lips, and beautiful dark blue eyes. She was also wearing a blue kimono with a white cherry blossom pattern on it."

"A blue kimono with white cherry blossoms?!" Aki cried, "The only person I know who has a kimono like that is –" 

"Miho-san!" Masato finished for him. 

"What did this youkai look like?" Aki demanded of the stranger, his eyes hard.

"It was a spider youkai," the stranger said with a shiver, "It was a monstrous thing; it looked like a giant web made of flesh! I'll never forget that sight!"

"You should rest, stranger," Aki suggested gently, "My brother will take you to our hut."

"But Aki! I want to help you save Miho!" Shiro protested. Aki sighed and put the boy down on the ground. The magician knelt down to look Inuyasha strait in the eye.

"It's too dangerous for you," Aki explained, "Let us older men do the work."

"Feh!" Shiro snorted, "You turn into a babbling idiot whenever you see Miho! You can't fight a youkai in that condition! And if my guess is right, this baka over here does the same thing." Shiro gestured to Masato. Masato blushed slightly, letting Inuyasha know that he guessed correctly.

"Listen, kid, for once that freak Aki is right," Masato said, "You're too little to go against a youkai. Go home!" Shiro stuck his tongue out at the older boy. 

"Feh!" Inuyasha snarled. 

"Alright now, go take our guest to the hut," Aki said, pushing Inuyasha along.

"That's quite alright," the stranger said, "I need to be heading back towards my own village anyway. But thank you for the hospitality."

"No problem, stranger," Aki said, "But still, you should rest before you leave. I insist that you let my brother take you to our home."

"Thank you," the stranger said again.

"Now, little one, you have to go take this man back home. When you get to our hut, tell Kimi-chan to lock the door, and don't let anyone in unless you hear me knock three times, understood?" Aki said.

"But!" Shiro protested.

"No buts!" Aki snapped, "Now do what I told you to do!"

"Feh!" Inuyasha/Shiro huffed. Pulling on the stranger's sleeve, Inuyasha led him to the hut.

"Now, shall we all go demon hunting?" Masato asked with a smirk.

"Yeah!" all the men cried out. 

Author-chan's notes: As you all probably guessed, Kumo is the brother of the spider demon who pretended to be a priest. The spider demon/priest came into the Inuyasha story when we first get to see Inu-chan turn into a full human during the new moon. And obviously, Kumo is not happy about having a dead spider for a brother, and he wants some revenge. 

Oh, don't forget the shadow person from earlier. He/she/it is going to show up again most likely.


	10. Enter Yumeko

Author-chan's notes: *holds up a wineglass full of pineapple juice* Here's chapter ten! Cheers! *drinks from glass, then spits the juice out* All right! Who was the wise guy who switched my pineapple juice with apple cider?! *Pan over to see a snickering Director holding two bottles of juice*

*Disclaimer- *Author-chan is standing on a stage, hands on her hips. The Director is there too, but he's hiding behind a curtain*

Author-chan- *muttering* Okay, Director-chan if you want to play hardball, you're going to _get_ hardball. PREPARE TO DIE!!!! *Author-chan disappears in a cloud of smoke*

Director- *coming out of hiding and looking around just to be safe* I wonder what she's planning. It can't be good, knowing her.

*Suddenly Author-chan reappears holding a giant crate. Author-chan is laughing insanely*

Author-chan- MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! PREPARE TO MEET THY DOOM, DIRECTOR-CHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Author-chan then takes out a crowbar and opens the crate. Out of the crate bursts a giant, deadly stream of CHIBIS!!!!!!*

Director- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! NOT CHIBIS!!!!! *blinks* Wait a second, what are chibis?

Author-chan- *sighs* This is a chibi. *Holds up a Chibi Inuyasha who is scowling at the director (AN: For all you people who are wondering, the Chibi Inuyasha is in hanyou form, not human. YES! DROOL AT HIS WHITE-HAIRED, FLUFFY-EARED CUTNESS!!!!)*

Director- Oh. Is that it? They don't look dangerous. What can a wimpy looking thing like _that_ do to me?

Chibi Inuyasha- *glaring/growling at the Director* SAY WHAT?!!!

*Chibi Inuyasha looks prepared to rip out the Director's throat, but Author-chan restrains him –barely*

Author-chan- *cooing over Chibi Inuyasha* Now Inu-chan, it isn't fair that you get to tear up Director-chan all by yourself. I'm sure all the other chibis want a shot at him.

*Sesshoumaru, Miroku, Sango, Naraku, Kouga, Kikyo, Kagome, Kanna, and Kagura –all in chibi form –are surrounding the Director. Chibis Sesshoumaru, Naraku, Kouga, Kikyo, and Kagura all look ready to kill the Director. Chibi Kagome is trying to calm them down, Chibi Kanna is just looking into her mirror, Chibi Miroku is hitting on Chibi Sango, and Chibi Sango looks prepared to kill Chibi Miroku*

Chibi Miroku- You know, Sango, you look beautiful even in that form. *starts rubbing {ahem} restricted areas of Chibi Sango's flesh*

Chibi Sango- HENTAI!!!! *Slams Hiraikotsu onto Chibi Miroku's head*

Chibi Miroku- *a little dazed* I love a strong woman. *passes out*

*The Director gapes at what happened to Chibi Miroku. Author-chan sees this and snickers at the Director*

Author-chan- *addressing the Director* Guess what, Director-chan? Each of these chibis are stronger than they look. You've seen the Inuyasha anime, right?

*The Director nods mutely. Author-chan grins wickedly*

Author-chan- Each chibi is as strong as their bigger counterpart. 

Director- *Eyes popping out of their sockets* A-all of them?!!

Author-chan- *smiling* Yep! *turns to chibis* GET HIM, MY PRETTIES!!! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! *lets go of Chibi Inuyasha*

*All the chibis (except Kagome, Kanna, and Miroku –who's unconscious) attack the Director*

Chibi Kagome- Guys! Don't hurt him! *all the other chibis ignore her*

Author-chan- Hey, Kanna, can you do the Disclaimer for me, since everyone else is busy?

*Kanna stares at Author-chan with those bottomless eyes of hers, then complies*

Chibi Kanna- **Author-chan does not own Inuyasha or any other anime. However, she does own any original characters used in the story as well as the plot.**

Author-chan- Thanks Kanna-san! *Kanna nods, then disappears. In the background you can hear the chibis beating up the Director*

Director- AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! GET THEM OFF!!!!!!

Author-chan- That's what you get for switching my pineapple juice with apple cider!!! *Leaves the Director to his fate of getting beat up by kawaii chibis*

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Ten: Enter Yumeko)

Back in the forest with Miho a few minutes later

Miho was struggling with bonds that Kumo had placed on her. She gave up after awhile when she finally convinced herself that there was no way that she was ever going to break these bonds. The young woman felt hot tears slide down her cheeks. Glancing upwards, Miho tried to think of a way to get out of this.

"I can't break Kumo's webbing, so I should stop trying at save my energy for something better," Miho thought out loud, "If I try calling for help, it would just be a waste of breath. I don't think there would be anyone around to hear me. And besides, if there were anyone out there, Kumo probably would have set up traps. *Sigh* Maybe I should just wait for Kumo to come back. He's not after me, after all. He'll probably let me go when he's got Shiro-chan. Oh Kami!!! Shiro-chan!!! How could I forget! That spider is going to kill Shiro-chan!!! I have to get out of here and warn Aki-san!" Miho struggled harder. After a few more minutes, she stopped, feeling completely exhausted.

"Why am I so tired already?" Miho murmured sleepily, her head drooping, "It's only been a few minutes. Unless Kumo's webs have some sort of sleep spell. That…must…be…it…." Then the young woman fell into a deep sleep.

***

Elsewhere in the woods with Masato, Aki, and the other clueless boys

"I think we're lost!" a random boy called out.

"No we're not!" Masato shot back.

"But we don't even know where this demon put Miho-san!" another boy wailed. Masato whirled around to glare at his crew.

"Shut up, all of you!!!" Masato snarled, "We won't be able to find Miho-san like this!"

"I agree," Aki nodded, "We should break up into groups of two, and spread out throughout the forest. If any group finds Miho first, they should yell out for the others."

"I make the decisions here, freak, not you!" Masato yelled, pushing Aki aside, "Now troops, break up into pairs, and spread out and find Miho-san. Yell for the others when you find her."

"That's what I said!" Aki cried.

"No it's not!" Masato snapped, "I thought up the idea myself."

"Dear gods!" Aki cried, pretending to be amazed, "You actually thought up an idea? That's amazing! I thought you were brain dead!"

"Shut up, freak!" Masato snarled.

"Ha! Make me, baka!" Aki shot back.

"Fine!" Masato yelled, and the two boys began to fight. While Aki and Masato threw fists at each other, the other boys broke up into groups of two, and spread out to search for Miho. Masato was about to hit Aki in the face when his opponent interrupted him.

"Hey, wait a second," Aki said looking around, "Where did everybody go?"

"They must have broken up into groups to find Miho," Masato concluded, after he looked as well.

"But where's our partners?" Aki asked.

"I have no idea," Masato muttered.

"You don't think…" Aki began. The two boys looked at each other.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR PARTNER!!!!" they screamed at the same time.

***

Somewhere else in the forest with Shiro/Inuyasha and the stranger

"Baka, baka Aki!" Shiro growled to himself, "Why did he have to leave me behind?" Shiro had lead the stranger, not to the hut like Aki told him to do, but into the forest. Inuyasha, being the stubborn dog-boy that he was, decided not to miss out on all the fun. 

"You should have listened to your brother, young one," the stranger commented.

"Aki is _not _my brother," Shiro growled.

"What is he, then?" the stranger asked.

"He's just a friend," Shiro replied, "Aki just _found_ me. I don't have a family."

"Neither do I," the stranger said, "My only living family member, my older brother, died a few months ago."

"How did he die?" Shiro asked.

"Murder," the other said shortly. 

"Do you know who killed him?" Shiro asked. The stranger got a hard look in his crimson colored eyes.

"Yes," the ruby-eyed stranger growled, "The hanyou Inuyasha."

***

In some unknown place, far away from the village

Yumeko sat in a dark room, waiting for her mother to appear. She kept her head bent so that her loose long black hair would cover her face. The girl silently cursed her hair. During these meetings with her mother, Yumeko was required to let her hair down, to follow the ancient customs of her clan. She didn't understand why her clan was the only one that required their members to use their hair as a veil when they talked with the matriarch or patriarch of the clan. Other families didn't have to follow such a silly custom. But then again, her clan was different from most others. 

On a normal basis, Yumeko pinned her hair up in a neat bun. She was taller than most women, and could look strait into the eyes for many men. Her abnormally pale face made her look unhealthy to most people, but that trait was common among her family. Her eyes were a dark green with no pupils. After all, most dream youkai didn't have pupils. 

"Daughter," a stern voice suddenly said out of the blue, even though the young woman had been alone, and she had not heard a single rustle of the screen doors. 

"Hai, Hahaue-sama?" Yumeko answered, without lifting her head. (AN: In case you don't know, Hahaue-sama is a very, _very_ respectful way to speak to one's own mother.) Miyuki, the matriarch of the dream youkai tribe, studied her second child. 

"Daughter," Miyuki started, "The clan has chosen you to carry out an important mission. According to rumor, the Tetsusaiga has been spotted in a human village. Do you remember what the Tetsusaiga is?"

"Hai, Hahaue-sama," the girl replied, "The Tetsusaiga is a demon blade of mass destruction. It is said that the Tetsusaiga could kill a hundred demons in one stroke. It was forged from the fang of the Great Demon of the West, Inutaisho. But Hahaue-sama, I thought the Tetsusaiga was in the possession of one of Inutaisho-sama's sons. Why would an inu youkai live around humans?"

"It seems that you heard wrong, Daughter," Miyuki said icily, "My spies have confirmed that the Tetsusaiga is now in the possession of a human child, not a demon. I want you to retrieve the Tetsusaiga for our clan. Not only is it a powerful weapon, but the Tetsusaiga might give us a claim over Inutaisho's old territories. With his land in our control, we would have endless resources. With these resources, and the powers of the Fang itself, we will finally be able to destroy our enemies!"

"As you wish, Hahaue-sama," Yumeko said meekly.

"Good," Miyuki said with a small smile, "The child that possesses the Tetsusaiga is currently living in a human village east. I want you to take that sword from him and bring it back here as soon as possible."

The young woman nodded. Rising, the young youkai bowed to her mother and prepared to leave. Just as the young dream youkai reached the screen door, her mother called out to her.

"Don't forget to kill the child when you get the sword," Miyuki said in a cold tone, "He will be of no use to us after we have the Tetsusaiga."

"I understand," Miyuki's daughter murmured. Then, she walked out of the room.

***

Back with Inuyasha/Shiro and the stranger

"What did you say your brother's murderer's name was?" Shiro asked, feeling a little bit dazed. The boy shook his head to try to clear his mind. For some odd reason, everything began to spin and fog seemed to blanket everything in sight.

"Inuyasha," the stranger repeated, clearly not feeling the same discomfort his companion did. Shiro began to feel even dizzier. 

"What did you say _your_ name was?" Shiro asked, trying to keep his head clear.

"I didn't tell you my name," the stranger admitted, "I am called Kumo." (AN: If you haven't figured out yet that the stranger was the spider demon Kumo, well then you should probably read more carefully next time.)

"My name is Shiro," the boy murmured. Kumo's eyes widened slightly.

__

'Shiro? Is that not the one that mortal woman, Miho, told me not to harm?' Kumo thought to himself, _'I thought "Shiro" was but a fake name that murderer Inuyasha was using to confuse the mortals. It appears I was incorrect. Shiro and Inuyasha are two different beings! I am amazed my description of Inuyasha was poor enough to be confused with a human child! Perhaps I should have mentioned the dog-ears. But indeed, Shiro is exactly how I described Inuyasha to Miho: _**A boy who wears red garments and a sword by his hip. And he wears a rosary about his neck as well.** _I _should_ have mentioned the dog-ears.'_

While Kumo was busy beating himself up for his stupidity, Shiro was feeling worse by the second. In mere moments, the boy had gone from looking relatively healthy, to looking near death. Shiro's skin was extremely pale, and he had dark circles under his violet eyes. The boy was also swaying from side to side, his balance completely gone. Sweat ran off his brow like a river gushes water. 

__

'It seems the rumors of Inuyasha being here are false,' Kumo thought, unaware of what was going on with Shiro, _'If that is so, then I kidnapped a mortal woman for no reason! Kuso! Things do not bode well for this unfortunate one.'_

"K-Kumo?" Shiro murmured, tilting slightly, "I-I –"

"Yes?" Kumo turned around right when Shiro fell towards him. Luckily, Kumo had fast reflexes, and he was able to catch the unconscious boy before he fell to the ground. 

"Kuso!" the youkai swore out loud.

***

Back in the village with Yumeko

"So this is the place where the Tetsusaiga lies," Yumeko mused to herself as she studied the tiny village. Yumeko had just arrived at the village a few minutes ago. The dream youkai had masked her pupil-less eyes with a spell, making them look like they had pupils and that they were hazel instead of green. As Yumeko studied the village, the first thing she noted what the lack of people.

"I wonder where they all went," the dream youkai murmured. 

"They all went out to find Miho-san," a voice near her elbow piped up. Yumeko looked down to see Kimiko standing there.

"Is that so?" Yumeko said, raising an eyebrow, "Who exactly is this 'Miho'?"

"Miho-san is one of the village women here," Kimiko answered, "She was kidnapped by a spider youkai, and the village men are out in the woods trying to find her and save her."

"How did you know that she was abducted by a spider youkai?" Yumeko asked.

"Simple. Earlier today, a stranger came to town and told us all about it," Kimiko replied, "I didn't get to meet him myself, but Rika-san saw him, and told me about him."

"This is bad," Yumeko said, frowning.

"I know that Miho-san was stolen by a youkai, but I am confident she'll be rescued, so don't worry," Kimiko chirped.

"No, you don't understand," Yumeko began.

"I don't understand what?" Kimiko asked.

"Never mind," Yumeko sighed, "It's not that important."

"Alright, if you say so, Miss…"

"Yumeko," the dream demon supplied, "This unworthy one is known as Yumeko."

"I'm called Kimiko," the younger girl chirped. The two bowed to each other.

"Do you know a place were I can stay?" Yumeko asked, "An inn or something?"

"Well, you can stay at our house," Kimiko suggested, "We have an extra room that we never use. You can stay there. I'm sure my brother won't mind at all."

"Thank you Kimiko-san," Yumeko smiled.

"You sound so formal!" Kimiko giggled, "Call me Kimiko-chan, not san."

"Alright, Kimiko-chan," Yumeko nodded. Kimiko grinned, then skipped towards the direction of her home.

"Come on!" Kimiko cried. Yumeko smiled at the younger girl, and followed at a slower pace.

__

'This child doesn't know it, but the spider youkai tend to disguise themselves as allies and helpers, when in reality, they are the felons. That man she mentioned, the one who warned everyone of the spider youkai in the first place, is most likely the spider youkai himself!' Yumeko thought to herself. Suddenly, her smile turned briefly into a smirk, _'Well, well, well, it looks like I have a little bit of competition.'_

***

Back in the forest with Kumo and Inuyasha/Shiro

__

'Kuso!' Kumo cursed in his head_ 'I hate all these trees! They are all slowing me down!'_ The disguised spider youkai was running though the forest, carrying an unconscious Shiro on his back. Kumo had not changed back into his true form, because it would have only slowed him down more. (AN: Imagine a giant web of flesh trying to navigate its way around tall trees that were closely clustered together.) Kumo had decided that Miho would probably know what to do about Shiro. After all, being a spider youkai, Kumo didn't have much experience taking care of sick human children. 

__

'I shall ask Miho-san to help the boy, then I shall ask for her forgiveness,' Kumo reasoned as he ran, '_or should I do it the other way around? Kuso! Kumo no baka!!! Accursed woman, and her accursed kisses! What did she do to me?! I am getting all sappy! I sound like a bleeding, mortal, human!!! Kuso!!!' _The demon continued to swear in his head as he ran. In a few minutes, Kumo was standing in front of the tree that he had tied Miho to. Placing Shiro down on the ground, the youkai turned to the sleeping form of Miho.

**__**

"Mortal! Awake!" Kumo commanded, changing his voice back into the eerie deep one he used in demon form. Kumo frowned when he noticed that Miho did not listen to him. He tried again.

**__**

"Foolish mortal! I order thee to awake!!!!" Kumo snarled again. The girl did not stir a bit. Moving closer to her, Kumo leaned over so that his mouth was next to her ear. He took a deep breath, and was about to yell in Miho's ear, when suddenly he stopped.

"Eh? What's this?" Kumo wondered. In his surprise, Kumo unconsciously switched his voice from his demon one to his human voice. Sniffing at Miho's neck, Kumo reflexively pulled away from her, and drew his kimono sleeve across his face.

__

'I would know that smell anywhere!' Kumo thought, his eyes wide, _'That is a magical sleep powder. But I put no sleep powder on the webs I used to tie up Miho-san. But if I did not put the powder on, then who did?'_ Muttering to himself, Kumo pulled out a long hunting knife, and cut apart the webbing that was holding Miho captive. As soon as the webbing was cut, they disintegrated into thin air. Kumo then lay Miho down next to Shiro.

"What do I do with you now?" Kumo asked the sleeping humans.

"Miho-san! Shiro-chan!" a voice cried. Kumo's head jerked up, and he turned to face Aki and Masato who had arrived on the scene a few moments ago.

"How long have you been here?" Kumo croaked, looking from Aki to Masato, and then back again.

"Long enough to see you cut Miho free from that webbing," Masato answered. Kumo almost sighed in relief when he realized that they didn't hear him use his demon voice.

"What are you doing here, stranger?" Aki asked, "I thought I told Shiro-chan to lead you back home."

"Unfortunately, Shiro here decided to play hero and find Miho-san by himself. I simply followed him," Kumo shrugged.

"What happened to Shiro-chan?" Aki asked, bending down to check on his "little brother".

"When we were walking in the forest," Kumo began, "Shiro suddenly fell over. I have no idea what caused it."

"Mou! Not again!" Aki growled. Kumo raised an eyebrow. 

"He has done this before?"

"Aa," Aki sighed, "That boy seems to tip over every other day! The second I take my eye off him, he's fallen over unconscious!"

"Ha! That brat's a wimp, just like his brother, eh, Aki?" Masato snickered. Aki glared at his "partner".

"Who is Shiro's brother?" Kumo asked.

"This freak over here, remember?" Masato answered, jerking his thumb at Aki. Kumo shook his head.

"Shiro told me that you were not his blood brother, Aki-san," Kumo stated, "He said that you _found_ him. Is that true?"

"Yes," Aki admitted, "But that doesn't mean that he is not my brother."

"Listen, all this chit-chat is cute and all, but shouldn't we get Miho-san and that brat out of here? That spider youkai might come back," Masato reasoned. Aki nodded in agreement, while Kumo bit his lip to stifle a laugh.

__

'Ha! Idiotic humans!' Kumo thought in disgust, _'Little do they know that their spider youkai is right before their faces!'_

Author-chan's notes: Finished! It's about time too! Kumo is freaking me out! One minute he's all evil and youkai-ish, then the next minute he's semi-sweet and confused, then he's back to being evil! Every time I make Kumo all evil and stuff, I keep seeing Yami Bakura from Yugi-oh! pop up in my mind!!! Mou!!! (You have my permission to bop me over the head if Kumo all of a sudden starts stealing people's souls and stuffing them into playing cards.) Don't worry, I'll flesh out Kumo's personality a bit more, later. Same thing with Masato's personality. 

And poor Shiro/Inuyasha! He's gone off and fainted again. Well at least this time he's not alone, Miho fainted too. Erg! I should put some more Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku somewhere. I think I'll do that in the next chapter. I'm so frustrated!!! And I want my pineapple juice!!! *cries*

Well, ja ne for now! 


	11. Meetings in the Dreamscape

Author-chan's notes: *singing* I'm going crazy! I'm going crazy! I'm going crazy! I'm going crazy! *pauses for a moment* Oh, wait a sec. I already am crazy!!!! *whips out a flame-thrower and starts burning down various things* Muhahahahahahaha!!!!!! *disappears in a wall of flame and smoke*

*Disclaimer- *The Director appears on scene. He is wearing a red knit sweater, black jeans, and black boots. His clipboard is nowhere to be seen*

Director- *clearing his throat* Ah hem! Due to the fact that Author-chan finally realized that the anime guest star disclaimers were slowing down her progress with the story, she has decided to discontinue them. She apologizes to everyone who didn't get to see their favorite anime character in the disclaimer, and she hopes they're not too mad. However, she hopes that now she'll be able to update this story more quickly. Now, on with the fic!

And by the way, **Author-chan does not own Inuyasha or any other anime now existing. **

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Eleven: Meetings in the Dreamscape)

Back with Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo

The foursome had hit the road again in search for the peddler who sold Miroku the sleeping herbs he gave to Kagome. The group had been on the road for nearly three days, and they still hadn't found anything on the herb peddler, the Shikon no Tama, or Inuyasha.

"Let's rest here, for the time being," Miroku suggested, as the group neared a small clearing in the forest, "It's getting dark, and we're going to need our energy if we're going to get to a town by tomorrow."

"Good idea," Kagome agreed, unpacking her sleeping bag. In a few minutes, the entire group was asleep. They didn't notice a pair of glowing eyes watching them from the bushes. Or to be more precise, watching Kagome.

"Sleep well, miko from the future," the mysterious one murmured. It walked over to where Kagome lay, and placed something in her mouth. Then the shadowy figure disappeared. (AN: Yep! This shadowy figure is the same mysterious person who threw sleeping powder at Miho awhile ago.)

***

In Kagome's Dreamscape

"It looks like I'm back here again," Kagome murmured to herself as she looked around the dead white void that was her dreamscape, "Hey, wait a second! How can I remember this place? I couldn't remember it when I was awake. Why do I remember it now?"

"'Cause you're asleep," a voice near her elbow explained, "And when you're asleep, you get to know things you're not supposed to know when you're awake."

"Huh?" Kagome looked down to face the speaker. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome gasped. There was Inuyasha in his human chibi form, just like in her first dream. Chibi Inuyasha looked at her sheepishly.

"Yes and no," the five-year-old said, "My name's Shiro."

"Not Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, disappointment coloring her voice. Tears began to silently slide down Kagome's face.

"GAK!!! Don't cry!!!" Shiro began to panic. He tried holding her hand, but Kagome continued to sniffle.

"Why do you always have to cry?! Sheesh!" Shiro yelped, not quite sure where his words were coming from, "You cry when I get hurt, you cry when we argue, you cry when you go down the f***ing well!!!! Stop crying!"

"You're so mean, Inuyasha!" Kagome wailed, not looking up, "SIT!!!"

****

*CRASH!!!* Shiro was slammed down, thanks to the rosary around his neck. He peeled himself off the ground, cursing.

"Kuso!!! I try to comfort you, and this is the thanks I get?! I don't want to see you cry. I just want to see you happy, Kagome! H-A-P-P-Y! Happy!!!" Shiro/Inuyasha yelled, still not quite sure where his words where coming from.

"You have no idea how to comfort someone, you know that Inuyasha?" Kagome yelled. Suddenly Kagome froze. The miko from the future looked at the person she was yelling at the whole time. Instead of a tall white-haired hanyou, like she was expecting, Kagome found herself facing a short black-haired human child.

"It is you, isn't it Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered bending down so she was eye-level with Shiro. The boy looked away from her gaze. 

"Aa. It's me," Shiro/Inuyasha muttered.

"Then why did you say your name was Shiro?" Kagome asked.

"'Cause it is," Shiro shrugged.

"Huh?" Kagome blinked. Shiro/Inuyasha sighed.

"You're just getting more confused, aren't ya?" Shiro/Inuyasha murmured, "Maybe I should show you what I always see in the dreamscape." 

"KYAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!" Kagome cried as the earth gave way beneath her. And then everything went black.

***

In Shiro/Inuyasha's Dreamscape

"Uh…" Kagome moaned as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Did I wake up?" Kagome murmured to herself. 

"What do you think?" a voice from above her snapped. Kagome turned around. In front of her was the God-Tree, tall and majestic. Kagome blinked. Something was wrong.

"Hey wait a second! This entire place is dark and black! I thought the dreamscape was white," Kagome cried.

"Feh! Baka wench," the voice from before scoffed, "_Your_ dreamscape is white. _Mine_ is black. You're in another dreamscape."

"That makes sense," Kagome nodded, "Hey! Wait a second! Who are you?"

"Did your brain get erased or something?" the mysterious voice asked, "Feh! I'll come down, alright?" 

"KYAAA!!!" Kagome screeched when something dropped from the branches of the God-Tree. 

"You yell too loud," the person before grumbled.

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, blinking at the figure before her.

"Who else?" the boy scoffed. He was in is teenaged half-demon form, rather than his chibi human form. Kagome hugged Inuyasha. Inuyasha jerked in surprise. Then, finally relaxing, he hugged her back.

"I missed you!" Kagome cried. 

"I missed you too," he murmured softly, burying his face into her hair.

"I KNEW IT!!!" a new voice behind them shrieked, "YOU DO LIKE KAGOME!!!" The two quickly sprang apart from each other. Kagome and Inuyasha turned to face a triumphant Shiro-chan.

"Shut up, Shiro!" Inuyasha growled.

"Make me!" Shiro said sticking his tongue out.

"Feh! I will!" Inuyasha said, advancing on the five-year-old version of himself. 

"SIT!" Kagome commanded.

****

*CRASH!!! BANG!!!* Kagome blinked in surprise, instead of Inuyasha being slammed on the ground, both Inuyasha _and_ Shiro were pulled down by the magic of the rosary.

"Wench! What did you do that for?!" both boys yelled. 

"Wait, I'm confused. The rosary is only supposed to work on Inuyasha. Why were you pulled down as well?" Kagome asked Shiro.

"Feh! Don't you remember anything?" Shiro snorted, "I am Inuyasha!"

"Huh?" Kagome blinked, "But Inuyasha is right here."

"Shiro over there is the puny version of me," Inuyasha explained.

"No I'm not!" Shiro protested, "I'm the smarter version of you!"

"Yeah right!" Inuyasha growled. Shiro growled right back. Both of them continued to glare/growl at each other. Suddenly, Kagome giggled, interrupting the boys.

"Inuyasha, you're the only person I know who would have a glaring contest with himself!" Kagome laughed. Shiro and Inuyasha blinked at her.

"Look we have to tell you some stuff, before either you or me wake up," Inuyasha said to Kagome.

"Like what?" Kagome asked.

"Like this bracelet," Inuyasha said, showing her the evil silver band.

"What does it do?" Kagome asked.

"It turns me into _him_," Inuyasha said, gesturing to Shiro.

"And what's so bad about that?!" Shiro asked, "I'm cuter than you!"

"Yeah, but you're not as strong as me," Inuyasha pointed out, "You're a weak human kid with no memories. You don't even know how to fight! And even if you did, you're too small to do any damage to a demon. Kuso!!! And I thought the new moon was bad!"

"But you don't have to worry about any demons. Demons won't go after a small human kid when there's other things to hunt," Kagome pointed out.

"Actually we already have demon in the village where we're staying," Inuyasha said, "A spider demon kidnapped one of the village women."

"Do you think it will come after you?" Kagome asked. Both Inuyasha and Shiro nodded.

"If it finds out who we are, it might," Shiro said, "Inuyasha's name has been connected to the Shikon no Tama for over fifty years. Demons will just love to come after me to see if I have any jewel shards."

"Not to mention the Tetsusaiga," Inuyasha added, "Sesshoumaru isn't the only youkai out there who would love to have the power that the Tetsusaiga wields." 

"This is bad," Kagome muttered, "With you defenseless (not to mention memory-less) you'll never be able to win in a fight against a demon like Sesshoumaru. Or Naraku."

"Speaking of that crazy monkey," Inuyasha began, "He's the one that put this stupid bracelet on me!"

"What?!" Kagome cried, "But why didn't he kill you when you were defenseless?"

"I have no idea," Inuyasha shrugged.

"Aki said he saved me from someone," Shiro put in, "Do you think that 'someone' was Naraku?"

"That's impossible!" Inuyasha scoffed, "Aki would never be able to defeat Naraku. He's only human."

"So is Kagome," Shiro pointed out, "Miroku and Sango are human too. They're able to hold out against demons. Maybe Aki can too."

"Aki isn't a fighter," Inuyasha said stubbornly.

"Neither was Kagome at first," Shiro reasoned. 

"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted, "She still isn't."

"Hey!" Kagome yelled, "I should say the 'S-word' so many times, you would be able to feel it in the waking world too!"

"Wench!" Inuyasha growled.

"Jerk!" Kagome shot back.

"Teenagers!" Shiro sighed, throwing up his chibi hands. Kagome giggled.

"Listen, Inuyasha, Shiro. You said you might have problems with demons later, right?" Kagome began.

"_I_ won't have problems with demons," Inuyasha snorted, "The brat on the other hand…"

"Shut up, Inuyasha!" Shiro snarled.

"Anyway," Kagome said, interrupting the two boys, "If Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and I were to get to you before the demons do, then we might be able to figure out some way to get that bracelet off before the demons come."

"Have you forgotten that there's already a demon here?" Shiro asked.

"Well, you're just going to have to fight that one on your own," Kagome said, "The demon might not even be after you. And if it is, hopefully you'll be able to come up with a plan. Oh, wait a second. This is Inuyasha we're talking about. You'll never be able to come up with a plan."

"Hey!" Shiro and Inuyasha cried. Kagome laughed.

"Can you tell me where you are, Shiro-chan?" Kagome asked.

"Er, no." Kagome sweat dropped.

"Can you tell me anything at all about the village you're staying in?" Kagome asked.

"Not really. There's nothing special about it that really stands out," Shiro admitted.

"What about the villagers?" Kagome asked, "Do you know any of their names?"

"Aki, Kimiko, Miho, Rika, and that idiot Masato," Shiro said, counting them off with his fingers, "Miho was the woman who was captured by the spider youkai. Rika is Miho's sister, and I live with Aki and Kimiko."

"What about the last one? Masato?" Kagome asked. Shiro snorted.

"Masato is an idiot. That's all you need to know," Inuyasha growled.

"Er, okay," Kagome blinked, "Can you tell me anything else?"

"Um, the village is located next to a forest," Shiro put in.

"Well, that's helpful," Inuyasha said sarcastically, "It's only _every_ village that has a forest next to it!"

"Inuyasha is right, Shiro-chan," Kagome said, "I need more information than that."

"Um, I don't think there are a lot of other villages nearby," Shiro offered, "The village doesn't see a lot of strangers, according to Aki. The villagers don't _like_ strangers."

"Well, that's a little bit more helpful," Kagome nodded, "Do you know anything else?"

"Um…" 

"Kuso!" Inuyasha yelled, interrupting Shiro. As soon as Shiro saw what his elder self had seen, he too cursed loudly.

"What's the matter?" Kagome asked.

"The dreamscape is starting to brighten," Inuyasha explained, "We don't have a lot of time before one of us wakes up."

"Don't worry, Inuyasha," Kagome smiled, "I, um, _we_ will find you."

"Hurry up, alright?" Inuyasha half growled, "I don't want to be stuck as Shiro for the rest of my life!"

"Hey! I'm better than you!" Shiro protested, "You should be _glad_ that you're me!"

"In what way are _you_ better than_ me_?!" Inuyasha yelled. Shiro smirked at the hanyou version of himself.

"Simple. _I_ am smart enough to know who I'm in love with and admit it. _You_, on the other hand, are still denying it!" Shiro pointed out. Inuyasha growled.

"Shut up! You're not old enough to be in love with somebody!"

"Am too!" Shiro yelled, "I'm in love with who _you_ are in love with! You're such a baka sometimes, Inuyasha."

"Why you!" Inuyasha snarled, advancing on his little form.

"Um, guys?" Kagome interrupted, "I have to go. I think I'm waking up now."

"See you later, Kagome!" Shiro chirped, giving the miko from the future a hug. Kagome smiled softly and returned the hug. Then she turned to Inuyasha.

"Feh! Don't think I'll be giving you any mushy good-byes, wench!" Inuyasha scoffed as he turned away.

"Typical Inuyasha," Kagome muttered to herself. Then she disappeared in a rain of silver sparkles. Kagome exited the dreamscape, and woke up.

***

In the real world with Kagome

Kagome woke up with a jerk. Glancing around at her surroundings, she sighed in relief. She was back in the campsite with Sango, Shippo, and Miroku. 

"Kagome-sama?" Kagome nearly jumped three feet into the air when she heard Miroku's voice.

"M-Miroku! Why are you awake?" Kagome gasped, looking at the priest.

"I could ask you the same question, Kagome-sama," Miroku said, raising an eyebrow, "You need your rest."

"I know," Kagome sighed, "Um, Miroku?"

"Yes?" Miroku asked.

"I had a dream," the girl began, "It was about Inuyasha."

"You worry about him too much," Miroku commented, "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"NO!" Kagome cried, "THAT'S NOT IT!!!"

"What's going on?" Sango asked, awakening from her slumber. Shippo murmured something unintelligible as he too awoke.

"Go back to sleep you two," Miroku ordered.

"I wanna know what's wrong with Kagome," Shippo demanded.

"She just had a bad dream. Now go to sleep!" Miroku commanded.

"It wasn't a bad dream!" Kagome shouted, "I think it was a true dream!"

"That's impossible," Sango said, "Only that special herb can give someone true dreams!"

"You mean this herb?" Kagome asked, picking up a fragile leaf that was resting on her shoulder. Miroku peered at it.

"I believe Kagome-sama is right," Miroku said, "This herb is the same one that gives the eater true dreams about the person they were thinking about last before going to sleep."

"I guess I ate some of that herb, and this leaf fell on my shoulder instead of in my mouth," Kagome suggested.

"Were you thinking about Inuyasha?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded.

"I'm worried about him," Kagome murmured, "Now more than ever."

"Why is that?" Miroku asked.

"In the dreamscape I met up with Inuyasha. Actually I met _two_ Inuyashas," Kagome said, correcting herself.

"Say what?!!" the others shrieked. 

"It's kind of hard to explain, but Naraku did something to Inuyasha that made him turn into a human child with no memories," Kagome explained.

"This is bad," Sango muttered, "If Inuyasha is _that _defenseless then he could be killed by demons at any moment!"

"That's what I'm worried about too," Kagome admitted, "We have to find Shiro first before he gets killed by youkai!"

"Who's Shiro?" Shippo asked, "I thought we were worried about dog-boy."

"We are," Kagome sighed, "You see, Shiro _is_ Inuyasha. When Inuyasha was found by humans, they named him Shiro."

"Shiro. That's a cute name. I wonder how Inuyasha agreed to have such a cute name," Miroku laughed. The others shrugged.

"I think we should head back to Kaede's hut," Kagome suggested, "We need to look at a map to see where we should start looking first."

"What kind of village should we be looking for?" Shippo asked.

"A village with no other villages next to it," Kagome said, "According to Shiro, the village is very isolated. And there's a forest next to the village."

"I just thought of something," Sango said, "If Kagome ate the herb that gave you true dreams, then how did she get it?"

"I have no idea," Kagome said, "Do you think that someone might have put it in my mouth while I was asleep?"

"It's possible, but very unlikely," Miroku said, "That herb is too expensive to be putting into stranger's mouths for no good reason."

"Maybe the person who put the herb in Kagome's mouth had a reason," Shippo piped up, "Maybe it was trying to help us find dog-boy."

"But who would do that?" Kagome asked, "And why would they? This doesn't make any sense!"

"I know, but all we can do at the moment is thank this stranger for what he or she did," Sango said.

***

Back in the dreamscape with Shiro and Inuyasha

"I know why you did that," Shiro said as soon as Kagome was gone.

"Did what, brat?" Inuyasha snorted. 

"Why you didn't say goodbye to Kagome," Shiro replied, "You don't believe in saying goodbye to Kagome, do you? You want her by your side all the time. That's why you never say goodbye to her when she goes down the well. And that's also why you always fight with her when she leaves to go to her world."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Inuyasha huffed.

"You love her, Inuyasha," Shiro said, "Admit it!"

"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted as he leapt into the high branches of the God-Tree. Shiro sighed.

"You can't hide anything from yourself," Shiro pointed out, "I know how you feel; I feel the same way. You better tell Kagome how you feel about her before you lose her forever."

"The wench ain't going anywhere," Inuyasha huffed.

"But she might," Shiro murmured. Then before Inuyasha could reply, the entire dreamscape brightened again, and Shiro/Inuyasha woke up in the real world. 

Author-chan's notes: And that's the end of chapter 11! 

That shadowy figure keeps popping up everywhere, eh? He/she/it/they will continue to come around to help/hinder our heroes. Sooner or later I'll go into more detail on what the shadowy figure is. Let's just say that there is a giant game here at work and all the characters are pawns. 

Well, please R+R!!! Thanks!!!!


	12. Very Well, Deal!

Author-chan's notes: MOU!!!!! I've been driving myself crazy over this story!!! If I weren't insane already, I'd be driving myself insane!!! I'll need a straitjacket pretty soon! *sigh* And this story used to be _so_ simple. It was supposed to just be used to cure me of my writer's block for "Parties and Bets: Special Edition" and "Overseas". Instead it turns into a full-fledged _novel_! And I still haven't gotten over my writer's block for my other stories!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter 12: Very Well, Deal!)

Back inside Kimiko and Aki's hut with Kimiko and Yumeko

"I know it isn't much, but it's home," Kimiko said as she ushered Yumeko into the hut. 

"It's wonderful," Yumeko said with a smile, "It's much better than back at my home."

"Why do you say that?" Kimiko asked, tilting her head to one side. 

__

'Back home everything is so cold and emotionless,' Yumeko thought to herself, not saying anything out loud, _'Even the people back home are cold and empty. But here everything is bright and cheery. This is a kinder place than home…'_

"Yumeko-san?" Kimiko asked when the older girl didn't answer her, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Yumeko said, shaking her head to clear it, "I was just…remembering."

"Oh," Kimiko nodded, "I'll just show you to our spare room."

***

Back in the forest with Kumo, Aki, Masato, Miho, and Inuyasha/Shiro

"How long have they been asleep?" Masato asked, looking at the unconscious forms of Miho and Shiro.

"About a few hours," Kumo answered.

"Maybe we should carry them back to the village," Aki suggested, "It's already dark, and that spider youkai might try to attack us in the cover of darkness."

"We're already far away from the youkai's layer," Masato scoffed, "It's not going to attack us anytime soon."

"Baka!" Aki yelled, hitting Masato over the head, "_One_ mile is not 'far away'! A _thousand_ miles, on the other hand, is!!!"

"Who ya calling a baka, freak?!!!" Masato snarled.

"You!" Aki hissed. The two humans glared at each other. Kumo sighed and turned away from the quarreling mortals. Kneeling close to Miho's slumbering form, the disguised spider youkai gently touched her face.

__

'Damn you mortal,' Kumo thought to himself, _'With one kiss alone you have me snared in your web. What kind of magic do you posses that causes me to give you my heart so willingly?'_ Miho gave him no answer to his silent question.

"Uh…" Shiro moaned. The three older boys stopped what they were doing to see the child wake up.

"Where am I?" Inuyasha asked, shaking his head a few times to clear it.

"In the forest," Kumo answered.

"Oh," Shiro yawned, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Long enough," Aki snapped. Inuyasha's eyes went wide.

"A-Aki!" Shiro sputtered, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm supposed to be here! You are not!" Aki glared at the little boy.

"Hey! You would have messed everything up!" Shiro pointed out.

"But we didn't," Masato put in, "As you can see, brat, Miho-san is safe."

"I bet you guys weren't even the ones who saved her," Inuyasha predicted, "Let me guess, Kumo did all the work."

"That's none of your business, brat!" Masato snarled.

"I knew it!" Shiro said in triumph, "Kumo _was_ the one who rescued her!"

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

"I will!"

"Children!" Aki said, placing himself between Masato and Shiro, "Play nice, or I'll have to punish both of you!"

"Say what?!" both Shiro and Masato shrieked. 

"Before you all get into a fight again," Kumo said coolly, "Let's get Miho-san back to the village, ne?"

"What? You afraid of a tiny spider, too?" Masato scoffed.

"No, I'm more worried about Miho-san getting sick with this cold weather," Kumo replied, his voice like steel.

"Ah," Masato nodded. 

***

Back in the village with Masato, Kumo, Aki, Miho, and Inuyasha/Shiro

"Home again, home again," Aki murmured to himself, "Come on. Let's take Miho-san to my hut."

"Why does it have to be _your_ hut?" Masato muttered darkly, "Why can't it be _my _hut?"

"Because mine is closer, and I have a spare room, while you don't," Aki answered smugly.

"Why you!!!" Masato scowled. 

"Enough!" Kumo yelled, getting between the two, "The foolishness of you two irritates me."

"Feh! If we're lucky, maybe that spider demon might _you_, Masato, you baka!" Shiro snarled, also annoyed. 

__

"That might not be a bad idea," Kumo thought to himself, suddenly feeling hungry. 

***

Inside the hut with Yumeko and Kimiko

"Do you need anything else, Yumeko-san?" Kimiko asked politely after she had escorted the older girl to the spare room.

"No, I'm fine," Yumeko replied, "Thank you so much for giving me a place to stay."

"Don't worry about it," Kimiko shrugged, "I don't think Onii-san will mind you being here." Then the girl exited the room, leaving Yumeko to herself.

__

"According to Kimiko-chan," the disguised dream youkai thought to herself, _"there's a spider demon lurking around. I wonder what it wants. Most likely it's here for the Tetsusaiga. *smirk* It looks like I'm going to have some fun fighting a spider youkai. No youkai clan is getting the Fang except for the Dream clan! And I thought this trip was going to be boring!"_

***

Back to Kumo, Aki, Masato, Miho, and Inuyasha/Shiro

The four males had finally stopped bickering with each other, and had made it to the doorway of Aki's hut without killing each other. Aki was humming another song from the future to himself while he carried Miho. Masato was glowering behind Aki's back while he planned the best way to kill the young magician. Kumo was getting hungrier by the minute, and he couldn't get out of his mind the fact that Shiro's suggestion of eating Masato was _extremely_ tempting. Shiro, in the meantime, was looking up at the sky, trying to remember something. 

__

"Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain!" Aki thought, humming the tune to the musical,_ "What a glorious feeling! I'm happy again…"_ (AN: I don't own the musical "Singing in the Rain" either!)

__

"Burn him and his house down or drown him in the pond?" Masato thought to himself, glaring at Aki's back,_ "But then again, disemboweling him isn't a bad idea either…"_

"Roasted, deep-fried, or should I make him into a soup?" Kumo thought, his mouth watering at all the ideas of cooking Masato,_ "Raw! That's a great idea! Maybe I can even make him into sushi!"_

"The sky's really pretty tonight," Shiro/Inuyasha thought, _"But it isn't as pretty as Kagome. Hey, wait a second! Where did that thought come from?! And who is Kagome?"_

"You're home, Onii-san!" Kimiko's voice cried, jarring all the boys out of their thoughts. The young girl ran over to the group, and was about to hug Aki, but then she saw Miho's sleeping from in his arms.

"What happened to Miho-san?" Kimiko asked, her voice concerned.

"We rescued her from the spider youkai," Masato said, butting in.

"Kimi-chan," Aki began, "Can you prepare the bed in the spare room? We're going to put Miho-san in there."

"Um, I can't exactly, um, do that, Onii-san," Kimiko said, blushing slightly. Her brother raised an eyebrow.

"And why not?" Aki asked coolly. Kimiko began fiddling with a spare lock of hair nervously.

"Because I already offered that room to a stranger who came to the village a few hours ago," Kimiko admitted.

"WHAT?!!!" Aki and Masato shrieked. Kimiko cringed.

"I guess this means that Miho-san gets to stay at my house now!" Masato said cheerfully.

"No, it means that Miho-san is going to have to share my room," Aki glared at Masato.

"HELL NO!!!!" Masato snarled. Shiro/Inuyasha and Kumo rubbed their temples.

"Why don't we put Miho in my room instead?" Kimiko suggested.

"That works," Aki and Masato murmured. 

"Kimiko-chan? Who is out there with you?" a soft voice asked. The boys turned their heads to see Yumeko come out of her room. Masato and Aki's mouths dropped to the floor. Yumeko was stunning! She had her hair up in her usual bun, held together by golden hairpins. Her pale skin glowed in the light of the lamps, giving her an unearthly feel. Her hazel eyes were gentle and her rosebud lips were perfect. Yumeko blushed when she noticed Masato and Aki staring at her. 

"Oh, Yumeko-san!" Kimiko chirped when she saw the other girl appear, "Let me introduce you to my older brother, Aki. In his arms is Miho-san, the woman who got kidnapped by the spider youkai. Next to them is Masato-san, another one of the villagers. The little boy behind them is Shiro-chan, and I, er, I don't know you." Kimiko pointed to Kumo.

"I am called Kumo," the spider youkai said with a bow, not taking his eyes off Yumeko.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Yumeko said politely, also bowing, "I am Yumeko."

"We know," Kumo said icily, "Aki's sister just said your name, remember?" Yumeko raised an eyebrow.

"Let's get Miho-san into Kimi-chan's room," Aki said, heading towards the room with Miho in his arms. Kimiko and Masato soon followed. Shiro/Inuyasha shrugged to himself and then walked back outside the hut for some fresh air. Yumeko and Kumo were left alone.

__

"Now, now, Kumo-san," Yumeko said, using her powers so that he could hear her thoughts, _"I know you spider youkai weren't taught the best ethics growing up, but please, did you have to be _that_ rude?"_ If Kumo had been a normal human, he would have jumped out of his skin. But since that wasn't the case, he simply glared at the dream demon.

__

"Thou art dream youkai," Kumo thought silently, _"This one knows that thou art using thy abilities to probe my mind. I know thou hears me."_

"Smart boy," Yumeko chuckled mentally, _"What brings you here, spider?"_

"This one's mission is of none of thy concern, dreamer," Kumo thought back icily.

__

"Very well then," Yumeko shrugged,_ "I have a proposition to make to you."_

"What?"

"You keep out of my way, and I'll keep out of yours," Yumeko replied psychically, _"Do we have a deal, spider youkai?"_

"Very well. But if thou begins to pose as an obstacle, or a threat…" Kumo left his thought hanging, knowing full well Yumeko knew the rest of his sentence.

__

"And the same goes for you, spider," Yumeko thought, making sure there was steel in her thought-voice. 

**__**

"Very well, dreamer," Kumo said out loud, using his deep-youkai voice. He stuck out his hand.

"Very well, spider," Yumeko said, grasping his hand. The two youkai shook, sealing the deal. But if you looked closely, both demons' eyes were aflame, as if they were trying to burn the other with their glares.

Author-chan's notes: Tired!!!! This chapter was pure torture to write! I had almost no motivation! Things should be getting better soon. Hopefully everything will weave itself into a grand master plot with an ending before I die of old age!


	13. Wounded

Author-chan's notes: Chapter thirteen! Enjoy!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Thirteen: Wounded)

Outside the hut with Shiro/Inuyasha

__

'Feh!' Shiro thought silently, _'I hate this! Being too little to do anything, fainting like a sissy, not knowing anything from my past! I hate it all!'_

Shiro growled. Glaring at a rock nearby his foot, the hanyou turned human child kicked the little stone away in frustration. Unknowingly, he began to walk back towards the forest, snarling to himself the whole way. Everything seemed so _wrong_. Something was missing in his life, but he couldn't remember what it was. Suddenly, in a flash of rage, Inuyasha punched a nearby tree as hard as he could. 

"OW!!!!!!!" Shiro yelped as soon as his fist came in contact with the sturdy tree. Looking down at the back of his tiny hand, Inuyasha noticed that the skin around his knuckles had split and he was bleeding heavily. Cursing loudly, Shiro waved his hand about, clueless of what to do. Then, out of reflex, Inuyasha clasped his good hand over his wounded one, causing both hands to be covered with blood. 

"Kuso," Shiro muttered to himself, "That hurt!" Taking his good hand off his wound, Shiro tried licking the bleeding cut. As he bent his head towards the cut, Inuyasha noticed his other hand. Stopping from licking his wounded hand for the moment, Shiro stared at his other hand. Somehow, the way his own blood was covering his hand seemed familiar.

"B-blood?" Shiro murmured, his eyes becoming glazed over, "Blood claws? Claws of Blood?" 

***

Back with Yumeko and Kumo

The two youkai had been glaring at each other for the past ten minutes or so. They hadn't moved an inch the entire time. Sometimes a growl or two would escape from their throats but that was it. Suddenly, Kumo broke eye contact with Yumeko and looked around the room.

"Where did everyone go?" Kumo asked, reverting back to using his human voice.

"I think they all went into Kimiko-chan's room to help that girl, Miho," Yumeko answered, "Um, that is, all of them except the little boy, Shiro."

"Did you see where Shiro went?" Kumo asked. Ever since Shiro had fainted in the woods while he was in the spider demon's care, Kumo had felt slightly protective over the little boy. 

"I think Shiro-chan went back outside," Yumeko answered.

"Kuso!" Kumo cursed, "I hope he didn't wander far. He could run into a youkai out there!" Kumo rushed out the door, hoping to catch up with Shiro. 

"Hey! Wait for me, spider-boy!" Yumeko yelped, following the other youkai out the door.

***

Inside Kimiko's room with Kimiko, Aki, Masato, and Miho

"Uh…" Miho moaned as she slowly opened her eyes. 

"Hey, she's waking up!" Masato cried, when he heard her moans.

"It's about time," Kimiko sighed.

"MIHO-SAN!!!" Aki cried, immediately crushing his crush with a bear hug, "I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Thank you for saving me," Miho murmured as she hugged him back. In the corner of the room, Masato seethed at the sight. 

"It was nothing, Miho-san," Aki murmured humbly, "But if you want to thank anyone, you should thank Kumo-san."

"K-Kumo?" Miho whispered, her eyes widening in fear.

"Yes," Aki nodded, "Kumo-san is a stranger who came to the village and told us about the spider youkai who kidnapped you. Then he was the one who saved you."

"This Kumo," Miho began slowly, "Does he have red eyes?"

"Why, yes," Aki said, confused, "How did you know?" Miho didn't answer him, instead she paled. Climbing out of the futon that she had been placed in, Miho ran out of the room and into the common room of the hut. Seeing that no one was in there, she went on to look inside each of the rooms inside Aki's hut. When she didn't find Kumo, the young woman ran out of the hut, looking for Kumo or Shiro. Aki, Masato, and Kimiko were left in the hut, completely confused.

"Shouldn't you go after her?" Kimiko asked the two sixteen-year-old boys after a few minutes of silence. The two blinked.

"Oh yeah…" the two murmured, then they ran out of the hut.

***

A few minutes later in the forest with Kumo and Yumeko

"Have you spotted him yet, dreamer?" Kumo asked.

"No. Have you?" Yumeko asked. Kumo laughed bitterly.

"I thought dream youkai had the best night vision of all the demons," Kumo mocked, "Could it be that this rumor is false?"

"Are you questioning my abilities, spider?" Yumeko hissed. 

"Perhaps," Kumo said with a smirk. The two youkai had been searching in the forest for Shiro for some time. They had been getting on each other's nerves so much that it was a miracle that they hadn't killed each other yet. Searching for Shiro in the dark was hard, because not only did the two not cooperate with each other, but only Yumeko had superior night vision. Kumo's night vision was horrible, due to an accident he had when he was younger. Also, neither youkai had a strong sense of smell like Inuyasha had in his hanyou form. (AN: I'm guessing that neither of them have a sense of smell like Inu-chan's because Kumo is a spider demon and spiders don't have noses. And Yumeko is a dream youkai and, at least in this story, the powers of dream youkai lean more to the mental rather than to the physical. In other words, Yumeko doesn't have enhanced senses except for her night vision.)

"WHY YOU —What's that over there?" Yumeko blinked, then rushed over to the object she saw.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Kumo shrieked, "I'm blind at night, remember?!"

***

Somewhere else in the forest with Miho

"Where could they have gone?" Miho whispered quietly. She was frantically searching for any sign of Kumo or Shiro. She remembered how much the demon wanted to hurt the little boy. Maybe he even wanted to kill Shiro. And when the young woman had noticed that Shiro, not just Kumo, was gone, she panicked. With these thoughts in mind, Miho picked up her pace. 

***

Back with Yumeko and Kumo

"Kumo, do you see what I see?" Yumeko asked, looking down at the ground.

"Well, let me think," the spider demon said sarcastically, "I'm blind in the dark. Do you think I can see anything?" Yumeko rolled her eyes.

"If you're going to be so cranky, fine!" the dream youkai hissed, "I'm going back to the village and you can just wander around here until daylight!"

"NO!" Kumo yelled, grabbing her arm roughly. Yumeko laughed.

"Relax, spider, I'm not that cruel," Yumeko said, grinning. Murmuring a brief spell, Yumeko passed the other hand over the other demon's eyes, casting a spell to cure him temporarily of his nighttime blindness. Kumo blinked at the sudden restoration of his sight.

"Alright, now do you see what I see?" Yumeko asked, pointing.

"What's this?!" Kumo cried, his eyes widening in surprise. Bending down, Kumo touched the reddish liquid that was splattered on the ground. Scooping some of it up in his fingers, he placed the substance into his mouth.

"Blood," the spider youkai murmured, "Human blood to be exact. But there seems to be another taste in it that I can't recognize."

"It's probably the dirt from the ground," Yumeko suggested, "Look! There is some more blood on this tree." Kumo licked the blood from the tree.

"Tastes the same," Kumo declared, "It's probably from the same person. That strange aftertaste from earlier can't be dirt, because I can taste it here too. Hmm."

"Do you think there was a fight here?" Yumeko asked. Kumo shook his head.

"The blood only comes from one person," Kumo explained, "And if there was a fight there probably would be blood from two combatants."

"But what if one of the fighters was very skilled, and didn't get wounded?" Yumeko suggested.

"Then there would be a dead body here," Kumo said flatly. 

"Do you think this blood could have come from your friend?" 

"Shiro-chan, you mean?" Kumo asked, "Maybe. But I hope not. If he were wounded then the blood would attract the attention of various youkai and wild beasts in the area. A little wounded kid like him would make a great snack." Yumeko shuddered.

"What's the matter, dreamer?" Kumo asked when he saw her motion, "You've never killed a human before?"

"Killed yes, eaten no," Yumeko murmured, "Dream youkai can't handle human flesh."

"Weak stomachs, eh?" Kumo snickered. Yumeko glared. 

"Look there's some more blood over that way," Yumeko pointed out, changing the subject, "It looks like that wounded person began walking. Do you want to follow the trail?"

"Alright," Kumo nodded, "Like you said, the blood might belong to Shiro."

"And if it doesn't?" Yumeko asked. Kumo's eyes flashed, and he smirked.

"If it doesn't, well that blood was really tasty," Kumo's smile became larger, and a youkai fang began to show, "I wonder what the rest would taste like…"

***

In yet another place in the same forest

"Why did I have to get stuck with you again?!" Masato whined.

"I don't like this arrangement either," Aki grumbled, "But we're here to find Miho-san, remember?"

"All for Miho-san," Masato sighed dreamily. Aki hit him over the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Masato yelled.

"I know what you were thinking, you hentai!" Aki growled.

"Like you've never thought the same thing," Masato said, rolling his eyes. Aki blushed.

"Shut up," Aki muttered. Suddenly the bushes to his right rustled. Masato, being spooked, whipped out a knife from inside his kimono.

"Show yourself!" Masato yelled, "I have a weapon and I know how to use it!"

"Isn't that one of my vegetable knives?" Aki whispered to Masato.

"Shut up, freak," Masato muttered. The bushes rustled again, and out hopped a cute little bunny!

"Aw, was little Masato-chan frightened of the cute little bunny rabbit?" Aki smirked. Masato blushed.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Masato snarled.

"I have a bad memory," Aki shrugged, then he turned to the bunny, "So little bunny, do you want to come home with us? I have a little sister who would love you and cuddle you and hug you and give you something yummy to eat!"

"You sound so stupid," Masato said in a dead-pan voice, "Besides, that bunny is so ugly who would want to cuddle it anyway? It should be made into stew!" Suddenly, the bunny's cute little eyes flashed and it started to grow.

"KUSO!!!!!" Masato and Aki swore at the same time. Soon the cute little bunny had transformed into a giant evil bunny youkai!

"ROAR!!!" the evil bunny cried, baring its giant fang-like teeth.

"RUN!!!" Aki and Masato yelled, speeding off into the woods with the bunny youkai on their heels. (AN: Maybe I shouldn't have eaten those cookies while writing this part. Anyway, the bunny youkai goes out to Bunny-chan and Chibi Usa-chan! HI!!! ^_^)

***

Back with Shiro/Inuyasha

Shiro was walking about aimlessly, having no clue where he was going or why. His eyes were still glazed over, but another strange thing was happening to them. For brief moments, his eyes would flash golden then turn back into their normal violet. His wanderings soon lead him to a small pond in the forest. Kneeling down near its edge, the little boy placed his bloody hands into the water. While he did this, he gazed into the reflective surface to look at his mirror image. The face that stared back at him from the water had golden eyes.

"Kagome would love this," Shiro/Inuyasha murmured to himself, his eyes still glazed, "She always liked to take baths. Nearly everyday she would stop the quest and take a bath with Sango. Then Miroku would try to take a peek and get hit over the head by a rock or two." While he was murmuring to himself, the silver bracelet on his arm began to glow. Inuyasha glanced down at the piece of jewelry. As soon as he did that, the bracelet began to spark with magical electricity. And since Shiro had his hands in the water (along with part of his sleeves), and the fact that water conducts electricity, the child was all but fried by the jolt of lightning that came from the bracelet. His golden eyes widened for a moment, then changed into a dark violet. Submitting to unconsciousness, Shiro began to topple over, strait into the deep water. 

***

Meanwhile with Kumo and Yumeko

Yumeko sighed to herself. She wondered why she was helping this spider-boy. After all he was just competition. The Fang would belong to her family, no one else. All that she cared about was her mission, no one and nothing else. She began to concentrate harder on the trail of blood that they were following. The spots of blood, barely droplets, caused both her and Kumo to think that the person who was wounded wasn't hurt very badly. Now and then, Kumo would bend down, scoop up some of the blood on the trail, and taste it. Yumeko shuddered. She didn't like the look in his ruby eyes whenever he did that. Unlike most youkai, dream youkai did not eat human flesh. Something in it made them retch. Now, eating human souls was a whole different story…

"I think we're getting closer," Kumo said after he had taken another taste of the blood droplets they were following, "The blood's fresher."

"—get hit over the head by a rock or two," a voice nearby was saying. Kumo and Yumeko froze in their tracks. Pushing aside a couple of bushes, they saw a pond. Kneeling next to it was—

"Shiro-chan!" Kumo whispered. The little boy had his hands in the water, talking to himself. But that wasn't the first thing that Yumeko noticed about the boy.

__

'He has Tetsusaiga!' Yumeko thought. Sure enough, around the boy's waist was the demon sword. Then Yumeko, with her incredible night vision, noticed that the boy had turned his head slightly so that they could see his face.

__

'His eyes are golden!' Yumeko gasped in her mind,_ 'But that's impossible! Only youkai and powerful magicians can have eyes of that shade!'_

"Dreamer, look!" Kumo hissed, motioning towards the boy, obviously not making the same observation as the other youkai. Yumeko turned her head and noticed that the water around Shiro's hands had started to glow. Then, with a bright flash, Shiro got shocked by the electricity in his bracelet and started to fall towards the water. 

"Shiro!" Kumo yelled, running over. Yumeko waited to hear the splash of Shiro's body falling into the lake, but it never came. Instead, Yumeko saw Kumo holding Shiro's body next to the pond. He had caught Shiro before the boy had fallen into the water. The dream youkai rushed to Kumo's side. The spider youkai gently licked one of Shiro's hands, accidentally smearing some of the blood on his cheek.

"It looks like you were right," Kumo murmured, as he showed her Shiro's bleeding hand, "The blood came from Shiro."

"Here, let me bandage up his hand," Yumeko offered. Taking the sleeve of Shiro's coat, she tried ripping it, but nothing happened.

"Don't bother," Kumo said with a chuckle, "Shiro's entire outfit is made of the fur of a fire-rat. You'll never be able to rip that —it's similar to armor. I can tell by the feel of his garments."

"The fur of a fire-rat?" Yumeko blinked, "Aren't warriors the only ones who should be wearing something like that?"

"And aren't warriors the only ones who should be wearing swords?" Kumo laughed, "Dreamer, Shiro is not your ordinary boy."

__

'You can say that again,' Yumeko thought,_ 'What kind of child owns the most powerful demon sword ever created? And those eyes! They looked like they could pierce your very soul!' _

***

Back with Miho

The girl ran. Faster and faster, not noticing the blood on the ground and the footprints next to it. But then again perhaps she did, because Miho had increased her speed. One would think where on earth had she learned how to run that fast. Unthinkingly, Miho broke off a nearby tree branch and continued to run, the extra weight of the limb not bothering her at all. In her normal state, Miho would have never been able to run for so long or so fast. Also she would have never been able to snap a tree branch of the weight and thickness of the one she now held, let alone carry it! But the rush of adrenaline and the looming fear she felt changed all that. Swinging the tree branch to test it out, the young woman was pleased by the swishing sound it made in the air. Knocking aside a couple of bushes, the young woman found what she had been fearing.

"_KUMO_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Miho shrieked. The spider youkai looked up to her with those wide crimson eyes of his. Miho ignored the fact that her stomach had done a flip-flop when she saw those eyes. 

"Miho-san," the demon murmured, acknowledging her presence. The girl shook with rage. In his arms was Shiro –unconscious and bleeding. There was a streak of blood on Kumo's cheek, obviously from Shiro. 

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Miho demanded, pointing to Shiro's unmoving body.

"What are you babbling about?" Kumo asked, confused.

"DON'T PLAY INNOCENT, YOUKAI!!!" Miho screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Miho-san…" Kumo murmured, taking a step forward towards her, "I –WHAT IN SEVEN HELLS?!" Kumo broke off what he saying, stopping in his tracks. His ruby-like eyes widened and they stared off into space. Miho blinked, not quite sure what to do.

"Opps," a voice near Kumo giggled, "I guess I should have mentioned that the spell I used to give you back your night-vision was only temporary. It wears off in a couple of minutes."

"WHAT?!!" Kumo shrieked, turning to face the voice…

…and ended up looking the other way. Yumeko began laughing her head off. 

"Shut up, dreamer," Kumo growled, turning again, and still being unsuccessful in finding her. 

"You really do have bad night-vision don't you, spider?" Yumeko smirked, then she turned to Miho, "So, we meet face to face at last, Miho-san."

"Who are you?" Miho asked, trembling as the effects of the adrenaline wore away, turning her back into a normal human girl.

"I am known as Yumeko of the Youkai Dream Clan," the female demon said politely, "When we first meet you were asleep in the arms of Kimiko-chan's brother, Aki is it?"

"Another youkai," Miho spat, "Are you here to help him?" She gestured to the confused Kumo.

"Maybe, maybe not," Yumeko smirked, "It depends on my mood, and whether or not spider-boy over there needs it. But in the most part, no. I have no use for a blind spider in my mission."

"I'm only blind at night!" Kumo snarled, turning again, this time successfully facing Yumeko, "If it was daylight I would rip you to shreds and you know it, dreamer!" Miho giggled suddenly. Of the times she had met Kumo, the spider demon was always confident, calm, and cool, but now he was a nervous wreck! Obviously his nighttime blindness disturbed the spider youkai greatly. Miho couldn't help but think that Kumo was acting a bit like a human boy.

"What's going on?" a voice murmured sleepily. Shiro had woken up yawning as he did so. As soon as Miho saw this, she remembered what she was here for.

"SHIRO-CHAN!!!" Miho cried, "Hurry, and run over to me." Shiro blinked his wide violet eyes.

"Sure, as soon as Kumo lets go of me," the little boy replied with a shrug. 

"KUMO!!!" Miho shrieked.

"WHAT?!" Kumo yelled, turning to facing her (unfortunately, he accidentally ended up facing the pond instead of Miho). 

"Let go of Shiro-chan, you monster!" Miho yelled, brandishing the tree limb she picked up earlier.

"I'm a youkai, not a monster," Kumo sniffed.

"Same difference!" Miho snarled. 

"It looks like you made the human mad, spider," Yumeko snickered. Kumo turned his head to glare at her, only to end up glaring a couple of bushes. 

"Shut up, dreamer!" Kumo snarled, addressing the bushes. Yumeko snickered again while Shiro sweat dropped. 

"Uh, what's going on?" Shiro asked.

"Two youkai," Miho growled. 

"Where?!" Shiro asked excitedly. 

"Kumo and Yumeko!" Miho cried, frustrated. 

"They're youkai?" Shiro blinked, "They don't look like youkai."

"Some youkai can take human appearance, you know," Kumo muttered.

"I know that!" Inuyasha huffed, "But even if you can look like a human, there's always something that gives you away."

"Oh?" Kumo raised an eyebrow, "Like what?"

"Um," Inuyasha sputtered, not quite sure what to say. It was just on the tip of his tongue, but he seemed to have forgotten it.

__

'Smell?' Shiro thought, _'A youkai always gives itself away by smell.' _As soon as Shiro had these thoughts, he pushed them away. They sounded so ridiculous! He didn't have that strong of a sense of smell -after all, he was just human.

"Shiro, those two are dangerous!" Miho cried, "Kumo wants to kill you!"

"I do?" Kumo blinked.

"Remember? The whole reason why you kidnapped me was so that you could get Shiro-chan!" Miho cried, her patience wearing thin. 

"That was a misunderstanding!" Kumo replied, "I was looking for someone else!"

"Then why did you attack Shiro?" Miho asked, still not convinced.

"He didn't," Yumeko put in.

"Then why is there blood on Shiro's hand and Kumo's mouth?" Miho prodded. 

"I hurt my hand when I hit a tree," Shiro explained.

"And I was tracking down Shiro's blood trail!" Kumo added, knowing Miho wouldn't understand what he was talking about.

"Stupid tree," Shiro muttered under his breath.

"So you didn't attack Shiro?" Miho checked.

"That's right," Kumo nodded, "In fact, I was following Shiro to make sure he didn't get into trouble."

"Correction, _we_ were following him," Yumeko snapped.

"Shut up," Kumo snarled. Miho shook her head and dropped the branch she was holding. Life couldn't have gotten any stranger…

Author-chan's notes: To be honest, I am irritated with this chapter. *sigh* Hopefully I'll make the next chapter better. It should tie up a couple of the loose ends such as whether Shiro/Inuyasha has finally remembered something from his past, what happened to Aki, Masato, and the demonic bunny, and where all the other village boys are. For all you people waiting for Kagome to come in and have some quality fluff time with Inu-chan in hanyou form, you're just going to have to wait a bit longer. I have to figure out if I want Inu-chan to have his memories back when he meets Kagome face to face or not. There are so many possibilities, so please bear with me. I promise they'll have some fluff time. I just have to figure out how. 


	14. Sunrise

Author-chan's notes: **HELLO!!!!!!!!! **Meet chapter fourteen!!!! Sorry for taking so long in updating. Please forgive me!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Fourteen: Sunrise)

Back with Shiro/Inuyasha, Miho, Yumeko, and Kumo

"So, Kumo, if you aren't here to hurt Shiro-chan, then what are you here for?" Miho asked.

"I already told you!" Kumo hissed, "I came to make sure Shiro stayed out of trouble!"

"I can look after myself!" Shiro snarled and started to squirm in Kumo's arms, "Now, put me down! I'm not a baby!"

"Like hell I am!" Kumo yelled back.

"Well, at least I'm not a blind baka spider like you!" Inuyasha said, sticking his tongue out at the spider youkai. Yumeko laughed. 

"I don't think you understood me," Miho said coolly, "I want to know why you're here in our village in the first place. You said you were here to get your revenge on Shiro-chan."

"That was a misunderstanding!" Kumo retorted, "I was looking for someone else."

"Who?" Miho asked, glaring at Kumo. The spider demon looked down at the ground.

"My brother's killer," he murmured. Miho froze. Yumeko looked at the other youkai sharply. Shiro simply blinked. 

"I-I'm sorry," Miho whispered. Kumo waved at her off-handedly. 

"It's not your business. Why should a mortal like you care?" Kumo shrugged.

"But your description of your brother's murderer, it's identical to Shiro's, isn't it?" Miho asked. 

"The one I gave you, yes," Kumo nodded, then he laughed bitterly, "I should have mentioned the white-hair and golden eyes! Or at least I should have said something about the dog-ears!"

"Dog-ears?" Miho blinked.

"His brother's killer was a hanyou," Inuyasha explained.

"See, if I had only mentioned the dog-ears, this mistake wouldn't have happened," Kumo pointed out, "Even if I had said something about his golden eyes, we wouldn't have this mix up."

"But, Shiro has golden eyes!" Yumeko protested. The others looked at her like she had gone nuts. 

"You've gone blind, just like me, dreamer!" Kumo laughed, "As you can see, Shiro-chan's eyes are violet."

"B-But they were golden a few moments ago!" Yumeko sputtered.

"You're eyes must have been playing tricks on you, Yumeko-san," Miho suggested gently. The dream youkai sighed, but let the subject drop.

"Do you know the name of your brother's murderer?" Miho asked.

"Inuyasha," Kumo spat. In his arms, Shiro tensed feeling a chill go down his spine. Suddenly a vision appeared in his mind's eye.

***

__

"INUYASHA!" a voice screamed in rage. He turned, just in time to see the miko release the shaft from her bow. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the arrow flew towards him. Dimly, he could feel the shaft enter his chest. The force of the arrow was so great that it kept going, even though it had already hit him. The arrow, dragging him with it, thudded against a tree, causing him to be pinned to it. He looked into the hard eyes of the miko who had shot him, shock and hatred coursing through his veins. But there was something else too -the pain of betrayal and a broken heart. He gave the woman one last hurt filled look, then succumbed to darkness.

'Kikyo,' he whispered, the twang of the bowstring still loud in his ears.

***

"SHIRO!" three voices screamed, snapping the boy out of his vision. The boy in question blinked, then looked at the startled faces of Kumo, Miho, and Yumeko. Miho, seeing that he was awake, laughed in relief and hugged Shiro fiercely. 

"What in the seven hells happened to you?" Kumo asked, also relieved, "Right after I said that a cursed name you fainted."

"Kuso! Not again!" Shiro snarled in frustration. 

"We better start looking for shelter," Yumeko murmured looking at the sky, "Why don't we spend the night in the woods? It will take too long for us to get back to village."

"What do you mean?" Miho asked, "I was able to run all the way here from there."

"That's because you were worried for Shiro-chan," Yumeko explained, "I'm guessing that right at this moment you're extremely tired, and you probably can't even walk for another mile."

"Kumo can carry her," Shiro pointed out.

"I'm already carrying you, remember?" the spider youkai pointed out. 

"I can walk!" Inuyasha protested.

"So?" Kumo shrugged, "With your short little legs, you'll slow Yumeko-san and me down." Shiro made a face.

"Stupid little legs!" the boy snarled. The others laughed.

"There's a cave nearby here," Kumo announced, "Do you think you have enough energy to walk there, Miho-san?"

"Of course," came the stiff reply.

"Let's go," Inuyasha said gruffly, sounding (for some strange reason) much older than he looked like. None of the others took notice –except Yumeko.

***

Back with Masato and Aki

"This is all your fault, you freak!" Masato snarled at Aki.

"_My_ fault?!" Aki hissed, "You were the one who got the demon rabbit mad."

"So?" Masato snorted, "It's still your fault!"

"How is it my fault?" 

"IT JUST IS!!!" Masato yelled. After being chased by the bunny youkai from earlier, the two men just happened to stumble into a cave, which happened to be the bunny demon's lair. Inside the lair were _more_ bunny youkai. The two men were surrounded by vicious giant bunnies with no way out. So naturally, Masato did what he always did –he blamed it on Aki.

"Masato-sama?" a timid voice from the shadows squeaked. Then a boy walked up to them. Behind him were more boys.

"Hey! It's my gang from the village!" Masato crowed, "We're saved!"

"Save us, Masato-sama!!!" the terrified boys wailed. They all ran over to him like a giant tidal wave. Soon Masato was buried beneath a giant group of boys.

"So much for that plan," Aki muttered, sweat dropping.

"Get off!!!!" Masato yelled from the bottom of the pile. 

***

The next day (Back with Yumeko, Shiro/Inuyasha, Miho, and Kumo)

__

"My name is Kagome! Ka-go-me!" Fierce gray eyes looking at me…

***

__

"Just shut up and let me protect you!" A giant white dog and a girl I fell in love with…

***

__

"Wench!"

"SIT!"

***CRASH!** * Another one of our arguments… 

***

__

"I thought you said you hated my sent." 

"Well, I lied." Delirious with pain and spider poison, I told her one of my biggest secrets. Those eyes, I could look into those eyes forever…

***

__

"INUYASHA!!!" Her again! The one who killed me, the one I couldn't trust enough, and the one who I, in a way, destroyed. I'm so sorry…

***

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Inuyasha screamed, waking up with a jolt. Sweat ran down his face and he gasped for breath.

"What a screwed up dream," Shiro muttered to himself. There was this girl in it, she had black hair and gray eyes –pretty like a doll. No, scratch that, she was prettier than a doll. He remembered talking (make that arguing) with her, but he couldn't remember the words. Even though he sometimes felt angry with her in the dream, he didn't hate her. Rather, he would have said that he felt like he _loved_ her. But that last vision! At first he thought it was the same girl, but then he realized it wasn't. The last girl was older and much colder. The first girl had a nice, kind aura about her –even when she was angry. But the other one, the one dressed like a miko, had a hard look about her. Shiro shivered. But soon everything from his dream started to fade away except for two things –the faces of the girls. 

"Shiro?" a voice nearby him murmured sleepily. The small boy looked at the sleepy face of Miho. The four of them (Kumo, Yumeko, Miho, and Shiro/Inuyasha) had opted to spend the night in the forest. After Kumo had cleared up the misunderstanding with Miho, the group had found a cave and had spent the night there.

"Yeah, Miho?" Inuyasha answered.

"Are you alright? You were screaming," Miho said, moving closer to the boy.

"I'll say," Yumeko muttered grumpily, "You woke everyone up."

"I take it you're not a morning person, Yumeko-san," Miho laughed. Over the past night, Miho and Yumeko had found they had similar likes and dislikes. The two women had become fast friends. It was almost as if they had known each other forever.

"I'm a dream youkai, what do you expect?" Yumeko growled, "The nighttime is my domain."

"Do you know where Kumo-san went?" Miho asked after she looked around the cave. Both Yumeko and Shiro shrugged. Miho sighed.

"I'll go look for him," Miho muttered, then walked out of the cave leaving Yumeko and Shiro alone. Yumeko grumbled to herself, then went back to sleep. Inuyasha, on the other hand, took the time to reflect on his dream.

"I wonder who those girls were," Shiro murmured quietly.

__

'Kagome –and Kikyo,' a voice in his head whispered.

"That so?" Shiro said out loud, "Kagome is a pretty name. So is Kikyo. But that miko –Kikyo –was, I don't know, messed up. She was like a shattered mirror image of Kagome. Now Kagome, I like. She has pretty eyes. Hmm. I wonder who she is? Could she be my sister?"

While Shiro was talking to himself, Yumeko listened. Each and every word the boy said Yumeko stored away for later use. She wanted to know everything about this boy. Especially how he got the Tetsusaiga…

***

Back with Masato, Aki, the village boys, and the evil bunny youkai

"I hate rabbits!" Masato snarled with feeling. The other boys around him nodded in agreement. All the boys had been wrapped up in blankets, old clothes, scraps of cloth, animal skins, ferns, and other things they couldn't identify. They had ended up looking like giant cocoons when the bunny youkai were done with them. Only their heads had remained untouched. Since they were wrapped up very tightly, they couldn't move their arms or legs at all. After the youkai had wrapped them up, the bunny demons took each boy out into a clearing and left them all in a heap. They had been like this since last night and none of them were happy about it.

"Be glad they didn't do anything worse to us, Masato-san," Aki pointed out, "I think this is their way of warning us never to enter their cave again." Masato snarled wordlessly at the magician. 

"I hope no wild animals come an' eat us!" a random boy wailed.

"Or youkai," another boy added.

"KUSO!" Masato swore, "We forgot all about the spider demon!"

"I don't wanna be spider food!" a new boy cried, "I want my mommy!"

"Me too!!!!" all the other boys agreed (except for Masato because he was too busy planning on how to destroy the demon bunnies and Aki because he didn't have a mommy).

"Excuse me?" a female voice said gently, "Do you need help?"

"Of course not!" Masato snarled, "We're fine!"

"If you say so," the woman said. The boys heard the woman began to leave. 

"No wait!" Aki cried, "Sorry for what Masato said, but we really could use some help, if it's no trouble to you gentle lady."

"You have no pride, Aki!" Masato snorted.

"If it means getting out of these cocoons, then I'll swallow my pride for the moment," Aki said.

"Very wise," the woman murmured. She approached Aki first, then cut him out of his crude prison. The young magician stood up and bowed to the woman.

"Thank you," he said politely, "I am known as Aki. May I know the name of the one who is rescuing my companions and me?" The woman was silent for a moment as she cut another boy out of his cocoon. Aki realized that the woman was wearing the red and white robes of a miko. Finally the priestess answered him.

"I am called Kikyo."

***

Somewhere else in the forest with Miho

"Where is he?" Miho murmured to herself. She had been looking for Kumo for the past fifteen minutes, but he was nowhere to be found. The young woman sighed and sat down on a fallen log, deciding to rest for a little bit.

"Miho-san?" a voice above her said.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" the girl screamed, jumping up from her sitting position. The voice above her chuckled. Miho looked up into the branches of the tree. There, sitting just a little bit above her, was Kumo.

"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!" Miho chided, relieved that it was Kumo and not someone else.

"I'm pleased that you were so worried about me," the spider youkai laughed.

"Come down from there!" Miho demanded.

"I have a better idea," Kumo murmured. Suddenly, strong webbing wrapped itself around Miho's waist. Kumo yanked the girl up into the tree branches. 

"What are you doing?!" Miho cried.

"Bringing you up here with me," the demon answered. Soon Miho was sitting on the same branch as Kumo. She gave him a little glare and he laughed.

"What are you doing up here?" Miho asked. Kumo didn't answer her. Instead, he pointed towards the horizon. The sun was just beginning to rise, painting the sky different shades of gold, red, and orange. Miho was breath-taken by the beautiful sight. She was so awed she didn't notice when Kumo gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

"This is amazing," Miho whispered. She felt that if she spoke any louder the whole scene would vanish like a dream.

"I know," Kumo said, also whispering, "Every day, since my brother's death, I would always wake up early to watch the sunrise."

"Why?" Miho asked, turning her head to face him.

"I would make a wish on the sun," the spider demon replied, "I would wish that my brother was still alive. But that's a foolish wish. Not even the sun can grant that. So every night, at sunset, I make another wish."

"What wish?" Miho asked, looking up at Kumo's eyes. 

"That I would be able to avenge my brother's death and kill Inuyasha," Kumo said, steel in his voice. When he had said those words, Kumo's blood red eyes had gotten a hungry, evil look in them. Miho felt a chill go down her spine. 

"I have a question," Miho said.

"What?" Kumo asked, his eyes no longer having that scary look from earlier.

"Have you ever wondered why Inuyasha killed your brother?" Miho asked, "He must have had a reason. No one just kills for no purpose."

"Some youkai do," Kumo pointed out.

"But I thought you said Inuyasha was a hanyou," Miho said, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 

"He's half demon."

"And you're full demon. And I don't think you would kill without reason."

"How do you know?" Kumo asked. Miho cocked her head to one side.

"I just do," Miho said confidently. Then she smiled. Kumo shook his head and sighed.

"What did you do to me?" he asked.

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything to you!" Miho protested.

"Yes you did. You did the unthinkable, the unforgivable."

"What?" she asked.

"You saw my soul and stole my heart," he murmured. Then, in one swift movement, he kissed her and made his wish to the sun. 

__

'Let this moment last forever…'

Author-chan's notes: Can you believe it?! Kikyo is in here! (Don't worry, this is an Inu/Kag fic and I'm not going to change that!) Hopefully she'll be gone very soon. Erm, I know the fluff in this chapter isn't Inu/Kag, but I hope you're satisfied anyway. 


	15. Possiblities

Author-chan's notes: Chapter fifteen!!! YIPPEE!!! I'm very sorry that I took so long in updating. I hope everyone will forgive this unworthy one.

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Fifteen: Possibilities)

Back in the village with Masato, Aki, Kikyo, and the other boys

"Here we are, lady priestess," a boy announced when they got to the village.

"It's beautiful," Kikyo said politely, "It reminds me of home."

"And where is home, if you don't mind me asking?" Masato said coldly.

"Far away," was the miko's answer. Masato snorted, then walked away.

"I apologize for Masato," Aki told Kikyo, "He can be a bit rude sometimes."

"Well, he's not as bad as some people I know," Kikyo murmured thoughtfully, looking into the distance. 

"May I offer the lady priestess lodgings in my humble home?" Aki asked, politeness in his voice.

"You may," Kikyo said with a small smile.

"Um, it might be a little cramped because I already have two guests in my home," Aki admitted, "But even so, my hut should have enough room for you."

"I hope I'm not intruding," Kikyo murmured.

"Oh, you're not!" Aki said honestly, "Shiro-chan is really small –you can share a room with him. Besides, it's the least I can do for the one who help us all back there."

"It was no trouble," the miko said.

"May I show you to where you're going to be staying?" the magician offered.

"Of course."

Aki lead the woman to his hut, not truly knowing the trouble he was bringing to his home. Meanwhile, all the other boys went back home.

"Welcome to my humble house," Aki said with a bow, opening the door for Kikyo. As soon as the two entered the hut, Kimiko appeared.

"Onii-san! There you are! Where's Miho-san?" Kimiko demanded.

"M-Miho-san?!" Aki sputtered. He had forgotten about Miho-san! Kimiko sweat dropped.

"Why do I have such a baka for a brother?" Kimiko sighed.

"I'll go out and find Miho-san," Aki vowed.

"And don't forget about Kumo-san, Yumeko-san, and Shiro-chan," Kimiko added.

"Why do I need to be looking for them?" Aki asked, "I thought that they were still here."

"Actually, they're not," Kimiko said. Aki sweat dropped like there was no tomorrow. 

"The last couple of days, I have spent looking for people lost in the woods," Aki hissed dangerously, "And what do I get in return? I get paired up with my biggest rival and get attacked by evil bunny demons! AND I STILL DON'T FIND THE PEOPLE I'M LOOKING FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kimiko sighed, while Kikyo raised an eyebrow. Aki began to stomp out of the hut to find everyone, but Kikyo caught his arm.

"Don't," she cautioned, "I'm sure that your –friends –will find their way back here. And there aren't any dangerous youkai in the forest."

"B-But what about the bunny youkai?" Aki asked.

"Rabbit youkai don't attack unless you provoke them," Kikyo answered smoothly. (AN: Don't be fooled by the bunnies! They're dangerous!)

"Baka Masato and his comment on bunny stew," Aki muttered darkly.

***

Back in the cave with Yumeko, Miho, Kumo and Shiro/Inuyasha

Miho and Kumo had returned from their little romantic moment just in time to help Yumeko and Shiro fix up the cave. After they had cleared the area of all signs of their presence, they left the cave for the village. Near the edge of the forest, Kumo turned to face the others.

"Miho-san, Shiro-chan," Kumo began and took a deep breath, "I don't want you to start telling everyone about Yumeko and my little secret."

"What? That you're blind at night?" Inuyasha asked. Kumo smacked him lightly across the head.

"NO! Don't tell anyone that we're youkai!" Kumo yelled. Shiro glared at the taller male.

"With the way you were yelling I would say that the whole village now knows you little 'secret'," the young boy said. Kumo sweat dropped.

"Don't worry Kumo-san, yours and Yumeko's secret is safe with us, right Shiro-chan?" Miho chirped.

"Whatever," Inuyasha said with a shrug, "I don't know why you're hiding it, though. It's not a big deal."

"Shiro-chan, if out village doesn't see many human strangers, how will the villagers react when they discover there are two _non-_human strangers in their midst?" Miho pointed out.

"I think the people of your village needs to get out some more," Shiro said.

"It's your village too, isn't it Shiro-chan?" Yumeko asked.

"I don't have a village," Inuyasha said flatly.

"That's right," Kumo said nodded, "Aki-san found you and made you his brother. So you have no family?"

"I-I think so," Shiro murmured, "Last night I dreamed about this girl. I think her name is Kagome. There was this other girl too. They looked like sisters, but Kikyo –the other girl –was messed up."

"'Messed up'?" Miho repeated, "How so?"

"I'm not quite sure," Shiro admitted, "Everything is fuzzy."

"But you're remembering you past. That's good," Miho pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe," Inuyasha murmured, then looked away.

"So who do you think those two girls were?" Yumeko asked.

"I don't know, maybe my sisters?" Shiro shrugged.

"If that's true," Miho began slowly, "Then that means you have some family out there!"

"I guess so," the boy murmured, "Um, you guys don't mind going on without me, do you? I want some time alone to think things over."

"You actually think that we're going to let you go off by yourself?" Kumo snorted, "That's dangerous!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT DO!!!" Inuyasha yelled at the top of his lungs. The three adults in the group blinked at him.

"O-Okay, Shiro-chan," Miho murmured.

"B-But!" Kumo sputtered. Yumeko sighed grabbed his arm, and pulled the spider demon away.

"Come on, spider-boy," the dream youkai ordered, "Leave him be."

When the three adults were far enough away from Shiro, Yumeko whispered to Kumo, "Alright, spider, I'll follow him." 

"I should be the one to follow him!" Kumo protested.

"No," the female youkai shook her head, "Shiro won't be happy when he discovers that you followed him. He won't mind as much if I was the one doing the following. Besides, I can read his thoughts and get more information that you can."

"But!" Kumo began to protest.

"I'll tell you everything that happens, alright?" Yumeko sighed. Kumo nodded reluctantly and let Yumeko take off. Then he and Miho proceeded towards the village.

"You worry about Shiro-chan too much," Miho commented, "It reminds me of Aki-san."

"Maybe," the spider youkai murmured.

***

Back in the village with Kikyo, Kimiko, and Aki

"So this herb can help wounds heal faster, Kikyo-sama?" Kimiko asked, holding up the fragile plant.

"That's right," the miko nodded. For the last few hours, Kikyo had been teaching Kimiko all the different herbs and their uses. Aki, in the meantime, had been pacing around the hut like a caged animal, anxious for the return of Miho, Yumeko, Kumo, and/or Shiro.

"You should sit down," Kikyo suggested, "You'll only wear yourself down pacing around like that."

"Who asked you?" Aki snapped, glaring at the priestess.

"I always heard magicians had a temper, but I didn't know it was true," Kikyo commented. Aki froze.

"How did you –" Aki began.

"Your aura," Kikyo said simply, "It's too strong to be a normal human's, too gentle to be a warrior's, too dark to be a holy man's, and too light to be a demon's. So the only option is that you're a magician."

"Impressive," Aki murmured, "I barely have the amount of raw power it takes to sense a person's aura, let alone be able to classify it. You must be a strong miko."

"I had to be," Kikyo murmured.

"Aki-san!" a voice cried as the door burst open.

"Miho-san?!" Aki gasped in amazement. The young man ran over to Miho and hugged her fiercely. Kumo glared at the magician for a brief moment.

"Where is Yumeko-san and Shiro-chan?" Aki asked.

"They're still in the woods," Kumo answered, coming up to stand beside Miho, "They'll be back soon."

"I take it this some of the friends you were worried about, am I right magician?" Kikyo asked, looking at the newcomers.

"'Magician'?" Miho and Kumo echoed. Aki sweat dropped.

"Ah, um, Miho-san, Kumo-san?" Aki said, quickly changing the subject and blushing, "May I introduce you to the lady priestess Kikyo?"

"WHAT?!" Miho and Kumo cried.

"I said –" Aki began.

"No, we heard what you said," Kumo snapped, "But, _she_ is called Kikyo?"

"Yes," the miko answered, "Is there a problem with that youkai?" Kumo looked at her sharply.

"Wait a second," Aki ordered, "_You_ are a youkai?"

"Yes," Kumo answered, not looking away from Kikyo.

"But he's not a bad youkai," Miho said in her friend's defense.

"Is there something you want from me, youkai?" Kikyo asked coldly.

"Last night," Kumo began slowly, "Shiro-chan had a dream about a girl named Kikyo. He thought maybe she might be his sister."

"I don't know anyone named Shiro, and my only sibling is my sister Kaede," Kikyo said, a hard look in her eyes, "Your friend might have been dreaming about someone else."

"Shiro isn't Shiro-chan's real name anyway," Miho said, "So you _might_ know Shiro, even if he isn't related to you." The miko was silent for a moment.

"What's his real name?" Kikyo asked finally.

"We don't know," Kimiko put in, "When Onii-san found him, Shiro-chan had no memories of his past."

"Then what does he look like?" Kikyo asked.

"Well, he's small, like I told you earlier. He looks like he's about five years old, but he acts older. Um, he has long black hair that goes down to his waist and violet eyes," Aki supplied.

"'Violet eyes'?" Kikyo repeated, "That doesn't sound like anyone I know. I would remember someone with that eye color." (AN: I'm guessing that Kikyo has never seen Inuyasha in his human form, 'cause remember how when Kagome and Shippo first found out about Inuyasha's new moon transformation Inu-chan said that he trusted no one with his secret? I'm guessing that included Kikyo.)

"Last night Yumeko said his eyes were golden," Kumo murmured idly. Kikyo gave the youkai a hard look.

"Wait," Kikyo ordered, "You said he had _golden_ eyes?"

"That's what Yumeko said," Kumo shrugged.

"That's interesting," Aki murmured, "When Kimi-chan and I first found Shiro-chan he started talking about someone with golden eyes. Who would have thought he was talking about himself?" 

"Is something the matter, Kikyo-sama?" Kimiko asked when she noticed that the miko had clenched her fists.

"Golden eyes," the priestess murmured, "It's impossible, but the only one I know with golden eyes is…"

"KIKYO-SAN!!!" Aki cried as the miko rushed out the door, pushing aside Miho and Kumo as she did so.

"That was rude," Kumo murmured as he watched Kikyo run towards the forest.

***

Back with Inuyasha/Shiro and Yumeko

__

'I wonder why he came here,' Yumeko thought as she watched Shiro lean against a tree. The dream youkai was sitting on a tree branch, high above the boy's head so that she couldn't be seen by him. After following him for a few minutes, Shiro had led Yumeko to the place where she had first found his blood on the ground the night before. And –although she didn't know it –he had led her to the place where he had hit the tree. Shiro/Inuyasha sighed and rubbed his wounded hand that Miho had bandaged last night. Yumeko began to read Shiro's thoughts. 

__

'I wonder what happened to me last night,' Shiro thought, completely unaware that Yumeko was listening in, _'All I remember is hitting this tree and then the next thing that I know is being by that pond being held by Kumo!_ (AN: Yes, the evil silver bracelet erased his memories _again_! I got to get rid of that thing, it's starting to get annoying!)_ How did I get to that pond in the first place? Kumo said he was following my blood trail, so that means that I walked and he followed. KUSO! My memory already has enough holes in it! And to top it all off, I had that dream about those girls, Kagome and Kikyo. If they aren't part of my past, then I'm a cat! I want, I want…'_

'WHAT DO YOU WANT?!!!' Yumeko screamed silently in her mind, impatient to find out about Shiro. Instead, the boy broke off his thought and looked at his hand. Yumeko almost snarled in frustration. Shiro hadn't given her any new information except the fact that he didn't remember how he got to the pond. She wished she could look deeper into his mind, but to do that he had to be fast asleep and unconscious. 

__

'Why didn't I look into his mind last night when he was asleep?!' Yumeko thought angrily. Suddenly her eyes caught Shiro unwrapping the bandage on his hand.

"What in the seven hells?!" Shiro whispered, his eyes wide. Yumeko also gasped. Wound on Shiro's hand was completely healed! There wasn't even a scar!

__

'That's impossible!' Yumeko thought, sweat trickling off her brow, _'No human could heal that fast without any magical help! Could it be possible that Shiro is _not_ human?!'_

Author-chan's notes: As you all can see, Yumeko has figured out a piece of the puzzle! (It's about time someone figured out something about Shiro/Inuyasha, ne?) If you're confused in how Shiro's hand healed so fast it's because after he hit that tree and cut his hand, he was able to unlock a tiny itty bitty barely visible portion of his demon blood, allowing him to heal faster and have brief flashes of memories. And if you're getting your hopes up, don't. The evil bracelet already sealed his memories and his powers back up again. (I really need to get rid of the evil bracelet don't I? It's driving everyone insane! Including me!) Well, back to the story!

***

In the forest with Kikyo

__

'Inuyasha!' the miko hissed in her mind, _'That boy, he must be Inuyasha! But how did he change into a child? And what of that girl that is always with him, my reincarnate, Kagome? Where is she?'_

Kikyo ran through the forest, hoping to find Inuyasha quickly.

__

'Soon, Inuyasha, I shall have my revenge!' 

***

Back with Shiro/Inuyasha and Yumeko

Shiro stared in awe at his healed hand. Flexing it, he discovered that it wasn't stiff at all. No pain, no blood, no scab, no scar, nothing revealed that his hand was cut yesterday. It was almost as if he had never gotten hurt! But the old blood on the bandages that he had taken off told him otherwise. 

"How?" Shiro murmured. Suddenly a rustle in the bushes alerted Inuyasha of someone else's presence. 

"Kumo?" Shiro croaked, "Aki? Yumeko, Miho, Kimiko? Is that you? Masato, you idiot, it better not be you! Come out now!" The bushes parted and someone appeared in front of him. Shiro's eyes grew wide. 

"You're -you're Kikyo!" the boy whispered. Looking down at him was the fierce-eyed miko from his dreams. Like in his dreams she held a bow notched with an arrow. And like his dreams, the shaft was pointed strait at him. Without warning, the miko turned sharply and shot her arrow into the trees. The arrow -strengthened with miko powers -sliced off a tree branch causing it and the person whom was sitting on it to fall to the ground.

"Uh…" Yumeko moaned, knocked unconscious by the fall. 

"Yumeko!" Shiro cried.

"Meddling youkai," Kikyo hissed, notching another arrow to her bow and aiming it at Inuyasha/Shiro again.

"I know it's you, Inuyasha, so drop the disguise!" Kikyo ordered harshly.

"W-What do you mean?" Shiro sputtered. Kikyo laughed coldly.

"I recognize your fire-rat kimono," she said, "You never go anywhere without wearing that fire-rat fur. And your sword -the aura around it is unmistakable."

"Look, you baka miko," Shiro snarled, glaring at the woman, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

"Fine, I'll pretend for a moment that you're _not_ Inuyasha," Kikyo said, but she didn't lower her bow, "So tell me, _Shiro_, how do you know my name and face?"

"I-I saw you in a dream," the boy admitted, "With this other girl -Kagome. I don't know how I know your name. I-It just came to me."

"You lie!" Kikyo screamed, letting lose her arrow. Shiro tried to move, but he was too slow.

"AHHH!!!" Shiro cried in shock as the arrow entered his shoulder. Placing his hand around the arrow, Shiro looked at Kikyo with wide eyes.

__

'T-This is like my dream!' Shiro thought, as blood ran down his shoulder, _'Except the arrow didn't go into my chest. Damn, if _that_ happened I would be dead! It's a good thing a stepped out of the way.'_

"One more time," Kikyo murmured, placing another arrow into her bow. Even if Shiro escaped from the next arrow it wouldn't be long before Kikyo placed an arrow into his chest. He growled in frustration.

__

'If only this stupid bracelet wasn't on me!' a voice snarled in Shiro's head. Little did the boy know, it was his older self, Inuyasha.

__

'What?!' Shiro thought frantically, _'What would you do?'_

'Tetsusaiga,' Inuyasha thought to his younger self, just before the connection was broken. 

"DIE!" Kikyo screamed, letting lose an arrow for the third time.

"GAK!" Shiro cried, moving to one side again. This time he was lucky and the arrow only grazed his side.

"I have to say, Inuyasha, even in that puny little form you're very fast for a human," Kikyo said, grabbing another arrow. 

"I'M NOT PUNY!!!" Shiro yelled. Suddenly the bracelet on his wrist started to glow and spark.

__

'HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!' the voice of Inuyasha laughed madly in Shiro's head, _'That's it! Just get angry and desperate enough then the stupid bracelet weakens! It's all about the strength of wills! Perfect!'_

'Huh?' Shiro thought, confused. 

__

'Just leave it to me, brat,' Inuyasha told his younger self, _'Let's see if I can get us out of this mess you got us into. We'll be having some of Kagome's ramen by tonight!'_

'Who ya calling a brat?!' Shiro demanded. Inuyasha laughed again then began to focus. Meanwhile, Kikyo released her next arrow.

"TETSUSAIGA!" 

__

'What?!' Kikyo thought in shock. Her arrow had been cut in two before it had gotten to its mark. And not only that, but her bow was now in two pieces in her hands!

"Damn, it's good to be back!" a familiar voice crowed. Shiro stood before her, an arrow still in his shoulder and a cut in his side. But something had changed. He was still a human child, but his once violet eyes were now a fiery gold and there was a streak of white in his hair. Also, he had aged slightly making him look like ten years old rather than five. In his hands was the Tetsusaiga, fully transformed. One would wonder how on earth could someone of Shiro's size hold such a large weapon, let alone swing it. (AN: But as we all know Inuyasha isn't your average boy. ^_^) 

"So Inuyasha, you decided to stop hiding?" Kikyo asked, throwing her broken bow to one side. 

"I was never hiding!" Inuyasha protested. Kikyo suddenly realized that when she was talking to Shiro before, his voice was high pitched like a child's. But now, his voice had changed to the familiar deeper teenaged voice of Inuyasha's hanyou form. 

"So do you wish to kill me again, Inuyasha?" Kikyo laughed bitterly. The look in the boy's golden eyes seemed pained somehow. Sheathing the demon sword in his hands, Inuyasha sat down, sweat running down his brow.

__

'I-It's hard fighting that baka bracelet's powers,' he thought breathing heavily, _'I can't think properly. And I didn't even transform all the way back into my hanyou form! At least I unsealed enough demon blood for me to use the Tetsusaiga. Damn, I don't know how long I have until the bracelet turns me back. This could be the end of me!'_

"Inuyasha?" Kikyo asked, much more gently when she noticed he didn't answer. He looked at her, his golden eyes already starting to change back to violet. His eyes were glazed over and he was slightly delirious from the pain in his shoulder and side, the loss of blood, and the lack of energy because of what it took to fight the bracelet's powers.

"K-Kagome?" Inuyasha/Shiro murmured, his vision blurred, "I-I never told you. I-I love -I love you." Suddenly, his eyes turned completely violet, he became younger, and the white streak in his dark hair disappeared. Then the boy toppled over, unconscious and exhausted.

"So, Inuyasha," Kikyo murmured, looking at the sleeping boy, "The girl means that much to you? You would waste your dying words on _her_?!" He moaned slightly in his sleep, as if he was answering Kikyo's question.

"Damn you Inuyasha," Kikyo hissed. Then she turned her back on him and walked away. 

***

Back in the village with Aki, Miho, Kimiko, and Kumo

"That miko has been gone for awhile," Kumo murmured, "Do you think we should go after her?"

"That would be a good idea," Aki agreed.

"Hold it!" Miho ordered. Both males froze in their tracks.

"We know why you want to go out there," Kimiko began.

"And it's not to check up on Kikyo-san," Miho added, "You two just want to find Shiro and drag him back here!"

"Can you blame us?" Aki asked, "Shiro's just a little boy! He could get killed out there!"

"By what?" Kimiko asked.

"Youkai," both men chorused together.

"Onii-san," Kimiko sighed, "Don't you remember what Kikyo-sama said? She told us that there weren't any dangerous youkai in the forest and that the bunny youkai only attack when provoked."

"So?" Kumo snorted, "Kikyo is a miko. You can't trust priestesses."

"He's got a point," Aki nodded, "There's still that spider youkai that kidnapped Miho-san." Kumo sweat dropped.

"Actually, Aki-san," Kumo said with a cough, "That spider youkai was me."

"WHAT?!" Aki and Kimiko yelled. The demon blushed.

"It was a misunderstanding!" Kumo cried, "It's not my fault."

"I think Shiro-chan will be fine," Miho said, changing the subject, "That plus Yumeko-san is following him. If he runs into any trouble, she can take care of it."

"But she's a dream youkai!" Kumo protested, "They got to be the weakest youkai existing! They can't even eat human flesh! Even _baby_ spider youkai eat human flesh!"

"WHAT?!" Aki, Kimiko, and Miho cried. Kumo sweat dropped and walked towards the door.

"Hahahaha," Kumo laughed with a blush, trying not to notice the humans glaring at his back, "Forget I said that. Let's get going! We got a stubborn kid to bring home!"

***

In the dreamscape with Inuyasha and Shiro

"Damn bracelet," Inuyasha muttered.

"You can say that again," Shiro sighed. Both were leaning against the trunk of the God-Tree, exhausted even in the world of dreams. The silver bracelets that were around their wrists were sparking and glowing. Both boys could feel the bracelet sealing up more of their memories. 

"Well at least we know that we can use Tetsusaiga," Shiro murmured. Inuyasha snorted.

"Not without becoming tired and even more helpless than before," the hanyou grunted, "Damn! I wonder when Kikyo is going to kill us."

"Maybe she won't," Shiro suggested. 

"In case you've forgotten _again_," Inuyasha said sarcastically, "The first thing on Kikyo's to-do-list is to kill me!"

"I wish she would understand what happened with Naraku tricking us and pitting us against her," Shiro murmured. Inuyasha's eyes softened for a brief moment.

"Me too."

"I wonder what Kikyo's arrow is going to do to us," Shiro mused, "Last time it put us to sleep for fifty years." 

"Who knows?" Inuyasha shrugged, "But I ain't waiting another fifty years for Kagome to find us and pull the arrow out."

"Yeah, I know," Shiro nodded, "You want to have pups with her as soon as possible, right?"

"I swear, if you say another word on pups again, I'll kill you myself!" Inuyasha snarled, glaring at his younger self. 

"If you have a daughter you should call her Akari," Shiro suggested with a grin.

"WHY YOU!!!!" 

***

Back in the real world

"SHIRO?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Aki called.

"Shiro-chan?" Miho said, looking behind a couple of bushes.

"He could be anywhere," Kumo muttered. Aki, Miho, Kumo, and Kimiko had spent the last couple of minutes looking for the boy without any luck, and it was getting very frustrating.

"Any bright ideas on how to find Shiro?" Kumo asked the others in the group. The two girls shook their heads.

"I-I have an idea," Aki began. Kumo looked him sharply.

"Well?" Kumo said impatiently, "What is it?" Aki looked away from the demon's gaze.

"Miho-san," Aki began, "Has it ever occurred to you that I was hiding something? Something big?"

"Everyone has secrets, Aki-san," Miho said calmly. Aki looked at the ground, then suddenly snapped his head up to look Kumo in the eye. Kumo's ruby red eyes widened. Aki's normal black eyes flecked with gold had changed. They were now fully golden and pupil-less. 

"Youkai," Kumo hissed. Aki shook his head.

"Magician," he corrected. Kumo crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought your kind was extinct," the demon said. Aki crossed his arms, copying Kumo's gesture.

"Not yet," Aki smirked. Kumo laughed.

"Well, Magician," Kumo said, "You said you had a plan. Care to share?" Aki uncrossed his arms and looked sheepishly at Miho.

"Miho-san," he began, "I -"

"Don't," Miho interrupted, then she smiled at him, "Everyone has secrets, Aki-san. Thank you for sharing yours." Aki blushed and nodded.

"When I first meet Shiro," Aki began, "I got this strong feeling from him -I can't explain it. Even when I'm far away from him, I can still sense that feeling from him. Anyway, whenever he faints, that strong feeling I get from him fades a bit. A few minutes ago that strong feeling weakened -a lot. That's why I wanted to check up on him."

__

'That makes sense,' Kumo thought to himself, _'I got a strong feeling from him when we first met also. I suppose that's why I feel so protective over him.' _

"My plan is that I can use my magic to trace down that feeling strait to its source -strait to Shiro-chan," Aki finished.

"Well then what are you waiting for?!" Kumo asked, glaring, "DO IT!!!"

Aki nodded. He closed his eyes and began to chant. The others had to shield their eyes as the young magician suddenly started to glow with a bright light. Then, as quickly as it began, the light faded away. In its place a tiny flame hovered right in front of Aki. Then, it zoomed away from the group.

"Quick, follow it!" Aki commanded, opening his eyes that were now back to being black with gold flecks, "It will lead us to Shiro-chan." The group rushed after the small flame.

"Nice," Kumo commented to Aki as they ran, "Elemental Master?"

"No," Aki replied, "I'm just a Fire and Wind Master. Water and Earth don't like me."

"Strange," Kumo said, "I thought Fire and Earth complimented each other while Water and Wind were always together. You have a strange combination."

"I know," Aki sighed, then he pointed to the flame they were following, "Look! It's starting to slow down. We must be close." The little flame made a sharp left turn, then stopped to hover over a small red bundle.

"SHIRO!" Kumo and Aki cried when they saw the boy.

"Dear Kami," Miho whispered, her eyes wide. Shiro was lying in a small puddle of his own blood, an arrow stuck in his shoulder. A few feet away from him was the crumpled form of Yumeko. Kumo rushed over to the boy's side and gently picked him up. Then, in one quick movement, Kumo pulled out the arrow that was lodged in Shiro's shoulder. Kumo felt dread settle into his stomach when the boy didn't react. 

"Who did this?!" the spider youkai hissed through clenched teeth. 

"You shouldn't have pulled the arrow out," Miho said, "You could have caused more damage." Kumo didn't say anything. Miho sighed and began tearing strips of cloth from her kimono to bandage up Shiro's wounds. Aki went over to check on Yumeko.

"She seems to be fine," the magician announced, "Just unconscious."

"Here Miho-san," Kimiko said, handing the older girl an herb, "Kikyo-sama said that this plant helps wounds heal faster."

"Thank you," Miho murmured, taking the plant and adding it to the bandaging she was putting on Shiro's wounds. 

"I just had a thought," Kumo said, "Don't most priestesses use bows and arrows as their weapons of choice?" 

"That's right," Kimiko nodded, "Kikyo-sama had gray feathers at the end of all her arrows." 

"Gray feather's?!" Kumo repeated, looking at the young girl with shock in his red eyes. Then he tossed the arrow that he had pulled out of Shiro's shoulder at Kimiko's feet. The young girl picked up the blood stained shaft gingerly. The feathers on the arrow were gray. 

"K-Kikyo-sama?!" Kimiko gasped, her face pale.

"I knew there was something wrong with that miko!" Kumo snarled. 

"But why would she do such a thing?" Aki asked, walking over to them with Yumeko sleeping in his arms.

"It probably has something to do with her reaction when Kumo talked about the golden eyes," Miho said.

"Good thing I didn't try any magic while she was in the hut," Aki murmured. 

"If I ever get my hands on that miko!" Kumo threatened, his eyes blazing. Shiro groaned in his sleep, turning the attention of everyone to him.

"We better get back to the village," Aki murmured, "It won't do either Shiro or Yumeko-san any good to stay out here." The others nodded in agreement. The group started walking back, the sun high in the sky above them.

Author-chan's notes: Finished! Kikyo made a rather unexpected entrance and exit, hmm? She'll still come around in the next chapter, but after that she's going bye-bye! I hate writing Kikyo. She doesn't have a set personality really. Oh, and maybe, just maybe, I'll bring in Fluffy-sama into this whole mess by next chapter. 


	16. Learning Through an Unexpected Source

Author-chan's notes: Can you believe it?! Chapter sixteen already! This fic seems to be getting longer than I expected it to be. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! This story is taking forever to write!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Sixteen: Learning Through an Unexpected Source)

Back in Kaede's hut with Kagome, Shippo, Kaede, Miroku, and Sango 

"Alright, we know that Inuyasha isn't in these three villages," Miroku said, pointing at a map on the table, "Which one do you want to try next?"

"I don't know," Kagome sighed, feeling totally defeated, "Why don't you chose one, Shippo-chan?"

"Alright!" Shippo said with a grin. Then the young kitsune crawled onto the table and looked over the map. The group had been looking for Inuyasha in various villages for quite some time. Kagome was getting more worried and was getting less and less sleep. The others in the group were also loosing sleep because of Kagome's worrying. 

"How about this one?" Shippo asked, pointing to a nearby village. 

"But Shippo," Sango protested, "That one is too close by. Remember Kagome's description? It has to be far away from other villages."

"I know, but at least if we go to this village we won't have to walk that far," Shippo pointed out. The others sighed. 

"What about this village?" Miroku asked, pointing to another village. Shippo groaned.

"That's too far!" the fox kit complained.

"Fine then," Sango sighed and pointed to yet another village, "How about this one."

"It's still to far!" Shippo whined, "I'm tired, and I don't want walk anymore!"

"But all you do is ride on Kagome's shoulder!" Miroku cried.

"So?" Shippo asked innocently, "It's still tiring." The others glared at him.

"Let's go to that village," Kagome said, agreeing on Sango's choice. Stretching briefly, Kagome walked out of the hut. The rest of the group quickly followed her.

***

Somewhere with Kikyo

__

'Why didn't I kill him?' Kikyo asked herself, _'I had the perfect shot. WHY?!'_

'You know why,' a voice in her head whispered, _'You still care for him.'_

'No! You're lying!' Kikyo thought back, _'All I can feel for Inuyasha is hatred. He must die!'_

'Then you won't admit that you felt a little bit jealous that Inuyasha chose to call out to that girl Kagome instead of you?' the voice prodded, _' When you were trying to drag him to hell, that girl's voice brought him back. He broke through spells that could not be broken just to save that girl! And just today he admitted he loved her! Even though he showed affection towards you, he never said "I love you". Kagome has done what even you could not do -she taught him to trust her and to love her with his whole heart. Can you make such a claim?'_

'SILENCE!' Kikyo mentally screamed. 

"How much further, Kagome?" a voice nearby moaned.

"Just a little bit more Shippo-chan," another voice answered. Kikyo froze. She knew that voice! Pushing aside a few bushes the dead miko saw the one she had been expecting -her reincarnate, Kagome.

"K-Kikyo!" Kagome gasped. 

"Eep!" Shippo squeaked, then covered his head with his hands. Miroku and Sango glared at the undead miko, preparing their weapons for battle.

"If you're looking for Inuyasha, he's not here," Miroku said calmly, tightening his grip on his staff slightly.

"I've already had a talk with Inuyasha," Kikyo said in a deadpan voice. Kagome's eyes hardened. 

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" Kagome shouted, quickly pulling out an arrow and putting it to her bow. One part of Kikyo idly realized that the girl had good form -almost as good as her own. The other part noticed that the pure fury in Kagome's eyes matched Inuyasha's.

"Relax, he yet lives," the miko said icily. Kagome didn't lower her bow. Rather, she pulled it back a little bit more, the fire in her eyes intensifying. 

"Where is he?" Kagome asked through clenched teeth. Kikyo reached into her robes. Kagome's eyes narrowed, not trusting the other miko. From within her robes, Kikyo withdrew a map, similar to the one Kagome and the others were looking at in Kaede's hut. Unrolling it, Kikyo pointed to a village a few miles away from where they were.

"Inuyasha is here," the dead priestess murmured, "I suggest you hurry."

"Why?" Kagome whispered, "Why should we trust you? Why are you doing this?"

"I'm doing this simply because I can," Kikyo said, looking strait into Kagome's eyes, "And as for why you should trust me, what choice do you have? Would you rather wander about until you run into him? By the time you do that, Inuyasha will have already gotten back to look seventeen. Follow my advice or not, I hope you find him soon and reverse whatever spell he's under."

"Why are you so anxious to have his back to his hanyou form?" Miroku asked, "And can't you break the spell yourself?"

"I want to kill a hanyou, not a human child." Kikyo said with a smirk, "And I doubt that even the child form of Inuyasha will trust me anywhere near him."

"What did you do?" Kagome whispered.

"Last time I saw Inuyasha he was unconscious with a gash in his side and an arrow in his shoulder," Kikyo commented idly, "I wonder how long it will take Inuyasha to recover now that he no longer has his demonic healing powers."

"WHY YOU!!!" Kagome yelled as she released her arrow.

****

*THUNK!* the arrow buried itself into a tree. Kikyo was nowhere to be seen. 

"Where did she go?!" Kagome cried. High above her, in the trees, Kikyo sat, petting one of her snake-like demons. (AN: Erm, I don't remember the correct term for Kikyo's demon minions, so please be free to tell me in your reviews. And yes, Kikyo escaped. It would be so much easier if she was dead, ne? Oh, wait, she's already dead. Never mind.)

__

'If that arrow had hit me, I would have been destroyed!' Kikyo thought to herself, _'That girl put so much miko power into that one arrow she could have obliterated countless youkai!' _Kikyo watched the small group leave. Part of her was pleased that they were following her advice and going towards the village that she had pointed out.

__

'Inuyasha, that girl is coming to save you,' Kikyo thought, _'Are you pleased? Your "true love" is coming your way. Will you tell her what you told me? Whether you do or not, I give not a care. But that girl will free you, and once you're free I will drag you to hell once and for all!'_

***

Some Unknown Place

"Very nice, I'm impressed. You manipulated that dead miko beautifully," a dark figure murmured, "Getting into her mind like that -I couldn't have done it better myself."

"That was all nothing," a second figure laughed, embarrassed by the complement, "You're too kind." (AN: Everyone, meet some of the shadowy figures that have been manipulating everything! And, yes, these two were the ones who threw the sleeping powder on Miho, and put the special herb in Kagome's mouth.)

"Whatever," Figure #1 snorted, "I'm not being kind. If I was, I'd let you know."

"So what's your next move?" Figure #2 asked, "It's your turn. Roll the dice."

"Of course," the other shadow murmured, pulling out a pair of black dice from within its billowing robes. Giving the black dice a little shake, the first shadow flicked its hand, sending the dice rolling. When the dice stopped, the second shadow looked at them.

"Double sixes," Figure #2 called out, "Lucky. You get two moves this turn."

"Don't complain," Figure #1 scolded, "It's unworthy of you."

"So what is your first move?" 

"Hmm. I think I'll put this player on the board," Figure #1 answered, again reaching into its robes. This time it pulled out a small figurine, similar to a chess piece, but much more detailed. Also there were two smaller figures attached to the figurine that the shadow person pulled out. When Figure #2 saw figurine, it groaned.

"Not that one again!" Figure #2 whined, "It always makes things difficult."

"I told you before," Figure #1 growled, "Don't complain. You're above such frivolous nonsense. And besides, I think this player will help out a lot in this situation." 

"Fine," the other pouted, "What's your second move?"

"I was rather fond of Naraku's puppet," Figure #1 murmured, "You remember? The one that I controlled?"

"Yes, I remember," Figure #2 nodded, "But didn't that deranged baboon destroy it?"

"Perhaps," Figure #1 shrugged, "But there's one thing I like about puppets."

"What?" Figure #2 asked. Figure #1 smirked slightly and pulled out another figurine from its robes.

"You can always make more…"

***

Somewhere else in the forest

"My Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken said in his whinny voice.

"What news do you have for me, Jaken?" the demon lord said icily, "It better be good, or else your life is in forfeit." Jaken gave an undignified squawk.

"W-Well my lord," the toad-like demon began, "There are rumors going around that the Dream youkai have some sort of plan underfoot."

"The Dream Clan always have a plan," Sesshoumaru said in a bored tone, "And they always fail. The Dream Clan is weak. How does this concern me?" Jaken gulped in fear.

"T-They plan to steal the Tetsusaiga!" Jaken blurted out. Sesshoumaru didn't change his impression.

"That fool Inuyasha maybe a half-breed, but even he should be able to handle Dream youkai," Sesshoumaru said, "It would shame the entire bloodline of the Inu Clan if he could not. None of your information is useful. You will die now."

"But the Dream youkai claim that the Tetsusaiga is in the hands of a human child, not Inuyasha!" Jaken said quickly, hoping to save his skin. Sesshoumaru looked at his henchman and raised an eyebrow. 

"Very well, Jaken," Sesshoumaru murmured, "You will live -for now. Come Rin." 

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," the little girl chirped. Sesshoumaru picked up the human child carefully, then the demon lord took off.

"W-Wait for me, Lord Sesshoumaru!!!" Jaken cried.

***

Back with Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku

"Kagome-sama?" Miroku began after they had been walking for a few minutes. The miko from the future turned to face him.

"Yes, Miroku-sama?" Kagome answered.

"Are you going to follow Kikyo's advice? Do you trust her?" the monk asked.

"I trust her as much as I trust you in a brothel," Kagome said simply.

"That means, not really," Sango translated. Miroku pouted.

"Does that mean you don't trust me around other women?" Miroku asked, "I'm hurt! I can control myself! After all, I am a monk."

"Sure," Sango, Kagome, and Shippo snorted.

"So why are you following Kikyo's advice if you don't trust her?" Miroku asked Kagome. The girl sighed.

"I'm not quite sure," Kagome admitted, "It's just I got this weird feeling that she was telling the truth. And if Inuyasha really is hurt as bad as Kikyo said he was, then there might be trouble."

"Why do you say that?" Sango asked, "I mean, I know he no longer has his demon healing powers, but I'm sure he'll be able to recover. He's too stubborn to die."

"Remember how Kikyo said that she fired an arrow into Inuyasha's shoulder?" Kagome sighed, "Well, Kikyo always puts spells on her arrows, like I do. We have no idea what kind of spell was on the arrow that's in Inuyasha's shoulder. It might be another sealing spell, and I'm the only one besides Kikyo who can undo her spells. I don't think Inuyasha will want to sleep for another fifty years."

***

In Aki's hut with Inuyasha/Shiro, Miho, Aki, Yumeko, Kumo, and Kimiko

"Do you know when they'll wake up?" Kimiko asked, looking at the sleeping forms of Inuyasha/Shiro and Yumeko.

"Soon hopefully," Aki murmured, sitting down next to Kimiko. Kumo was pacing about the room. He was so angry that Aki could feel the dark electric sparks that made up Kumo's aura from a mile away. All the spider youkai had done for the past half-hour was pace about the hut and mutter about all the different ways he'd kill Kikyo. 

"You'll wear a hole into Aki-san's floor with all the pacing you're doing," Miho commented. Kumo stopped for a moment, glared at her, gave a slight snarl, then when back to pacing. Miho sighed. Men -human or otherwise -never listened.

"I still don't understand why Kikyo-sama would try to kill Shiro-chan," Kimiko murmured.

"She's a crazy psychopathic miko, that's why!" Kumo growled, his crimson eyes flashing. 

"What I'm more worried about is why didn't she finish the job," Aki said, "Why didn't she just kill Shiro? She had the perfect opportunity: he was wounded and unconscious. It makes no sense!"

"She's a miko, they're not supposed to make sense!" Kumo reasoned.

"I have the oddest feeling you have something against priestesses," Miho murmured. 

"I'm a youkai," the spider demon snorted, "Priestesses kill youkai, youkai kill priestesses. It's as simple as that."

"You're hopeless," Aki, Kimiko, and Miho sighed.

***

In the dreamscape with Inuyasha/Shiro

"It looks like that baka bracelet finished sealing up our memories," Inuyasha announced. Everything, from his night in the woods with Yumeko, Kumo, and Miho to the last minutes, was erased. Inuyasha knew that when he woke up, Shiro would have no memories after hitting that tree from last night. He wouldn't even remember getting cut from hitting the blasted thing! The hanyou growled in frustration.

"I guess this means I won't be remembering my dreams of Kagome or Kikyo," Shiro sighed. Inuyasha gave him a curt nod.

"Figures," the human boy muttered, "Just when I start remembering, I forget all over again. So what are we going to do now?"

"Wake up?" Inuyasha shrugged.

"What about Kikyo's arrow?" Shiro asked, "Won't it put another sealing spell on us?"

"Don't know," the older boy admitted, "Most of Kikyo's spells are designed to be used on demons. We were human when she shot that arrow at us."

"But we turned into a demon for a short time," the younger boy pointed out.

"Not all the way," Inuyasha argued, "I don't think we had unsealed enough demonic power to be affected by Kikyo's spelled arrow. And it was only for a short time too." Suddenly, Shiro yawned.

"I feel tired," the human boy murmured. The hanyou snorted.

"Weak human," Inuyasha muttered.

"Watch who you're calling weak," Shiro murmured drowsily with a half-hearted glare shot toward the direction of his older self. Then, Shiro leaned against the God-Tree and closed his eyes. He didn't fall asleep, because he already was. Instead, he simply slipped into his normal dream-mode, where he had no control over his dreams and could not talk to outside forces, including himself -including Inuyasha.

***

Back in Aki's hut with Inuyasha/Shiro, Kimiko, Kumo, and Miho

"Bury her alive, drown her, burn her until she is but ashes then spread the ashes to the four winds," Kumo growled to himself. Miho sighed. Kumo was still angry with Kikyo. Oh well. They were still waiting for Shiro to awake. Yumeko had already woken up a few minutes earlier and was in the next room having tea with Aki. Miho smiled to herself. It seemed that Aki had found some interest in another woman.

"I feel like this is all my fault," Kimiko murmured. 

"What on earth are you talking about?" Miho asked, walking over to the younger girl and sitting down next to her.

"I should have never trusted Kikyo-sama," Kimiko said quietly, "No, I shouldn't call her that. Criminals like her should not have an honorific on their names. She is just Kikyo."

"Look, the woman deceived you," Miho began, "It's not your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

"But!" Kimiko protested.

"Shut up," Kumo sharply commanded, "It wasn't your fault. How could you have known about Kikyo? Stop blaming yourself and start blaming her!"

"Do you think Shiro-chan will forgive me?" Kimiko asked. Kumo snorted.

"Forgive you? He won't even blame you!" the spider demon answered. Kimiko blushed slightly and bowed her head.

"Thank you."

***

Inside Shiro's dream 

"Where am I?" Shiro murmured. He looked at his surroundings. He was in a mist-covered place. Here and there, he could make out the outline of trees. Looking down, Shiro noticed that he was floating a few inches above the ground. He also noticed that his body was completely see-through. 

"Am I dead?" the boy whispered.

"Not yet, Inuyasha-san," a voice whispered in his ear. Shiro whirled around, gazing at the new comer with wide eyes. The creature that he faced was also floating and transparent as he was. But this creature seemed more at home here, its shadow-like body blending in with the misty habitat. 

"What did you call me?" Shiro whispered. The shadow-thing sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot," the thing apologized.

"You're making the poor boy jumpy," another voice scolded from behind Shiro. Shiro felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He hated it when people sneaked up on him! That hardly ever happened, with his nose and ears…

__

'What?' Shiro thought, _'That doesn't make any sense."_

"Of course it makes sense," the second voice said, "You just don't understand what your instincts already know." The owner of the voice walked in front of Shiro so that he could see him. Shiro noticed that the new person looked just like the first, a being made of shadows and mist.

"Where am I?" Shiro asked.

"An in between place," the first figure replied. (AN: If you're curious, the two figures in Shiro's dream are the two shadowy figures from earlier.) 

"Do you two know me?" the boy asked, "Do I know you?"

"We know you," Figure #2 began.

"But you don't know us," Figure #1 finished, "At least not directly."

"Then you know about my past," Shiro said, excitement beginning to rise within him, "You know who I was. You know name! Tell me!" The two shadows looked at each other.

"Yes, we do," Figure #2 began gently, hesitantly, "But we can tell you nothing. Your past is for you to find out for yourself."

"I don't understand," Shiro murmured, "I feel as if I _should _remember everything. I feel as if I did remember everything a few minutes ago…"

"You did," Figure #1 replied, "But we thought it best that we should talk to you without your memories. We made sure that the part of you that did recall everything was left behind."

"Why?" Shiro demanded.

"Heh," the second shadow muttered under his breath so that Shiro couldn't hear him, "If Inuyasha found out that my sibling was the one that placed that bracelet on him, he'd have both our heads! We're not invulnerable; we can be killed, even more easily than most."

"Shut up, you baka!" Figure #1 hissed, elbowing his partner in the ribs. Shiro blinked at the pair. After clearing his throat, Figure #1 went on with talking to Shiro.

"You see, Shiro-chan," Figure #1 began, "We want you to relive your childhood. Your original childhood sucked like hell, so we decided to give you a chance to have a better one."

"_We_?!" Figure #2 hissed, "Who is this _we_?! _You _were the one who did this!"

"Huh?" Shiro blinked. Figure #2 took a deep breath.

"You see, Shiro-chan," Figure #2 said, "I was opposed of this idea from the start. Although I know your first childhood wasn't the best of the best -"

"More like the worst of the worst," Figure #1 interrupted, muttering under his breath. Figure #2 glared at the other shadow, then continued on with his explanation.

"As I was saying," Figure #2 began again, "Even though your childhood wasn't great, it still played a big part in shaping your character. If it hadn't been for the bumps in the road in your life, you might not have become what you are now. If we pull too many strings out of the tapestry, the whole thing falls apart. Without you the world as we know it might be destroyed. Youkai will run rampant, Naraku would take over the world, Kagome will die of a broken heart…"

"Kagome?" Shiro repeated, rolling the word around in his mouth. Somehow it felt so beautiful on his tongue -he could even taste the sweetness in the name. And somehow it felt very familiar.

"You baka!" Figure #1 yelled at its counterpart, "You're giving away too much of his past! That's against the rules!"

"Oh, sorry," Figure #2 blushed.

"Shiro-chan," Figure #1 sighed, "Although I do agree with what my sibling here is saying, I think it would be nice if you had some time off to relax and have some fun as a child. I mean, I'm pretty sure that even with this little detour, your destiny won't be affected. The thing is, you're too wrapped up with trying to find your memories, that you've forgotten to have fun."

"Maybe I don't want to have fun," Shiro growled, "Maybe I want to know what's going on."

"You can't yet," Figure #1 said soothingly, "You'll know eventually, but not yet. Please. Try to enjoy yourself. Most people can only be a child once. You're getting the chance to be a child twice."

"Why?" Shiro asked quietly.

"Why what?" the two shadows asked together.

"Why are you doing this?" Shiro asked, "Giving me a second chance, I mean."

"You've already suffered enough," Figure #2 murmured, "You deserve _some_ reward for what you've done, even if I don't approve of the reward. Even though you don't show it very often, you're a decent kind of guy, Shiro-chan."

"Oh," the boy blinked.

"Well, I think our meeting is about over now," Figure #2 announced, "Will be sending you into a dreamless sleep pretty soon. Any last words?"

"I have some," Figure #1 said.

"Well?" 

"Shiro," Figure #1 began, "I want your word that you'll try to have a good time. At least try?"

"I, um, I," Shiro stuttered, then sighed and nodded his head, "Fine."

"Good!" Figure #1 chirped, "Don't worry, you'll get your memories back sooner or later. You still have a destiny to fulfill, after all. Ja ne!"

"Sayonara," Figure #2 added. And then Shiro/Inuyasha fell into a dark, dreamless slumber.

***

In the hut with Aki and Yumeko ~ real world

"You're saying that his hand was completely healed?" Aki asked. Yumeko nodded. The two were having some tea after Yumeko had awoken when the dream demon started telling Aki what she had seen when spying on Shiro.

"It worries me, Aki-san," Yumeko murmured, "Nothing human could heal that fast. Not even a magician like you can. But Shiro did. I have a feeling that Shiro might have youkai blood in him. I remember the spider mentioning a strange aftertaste in Shiro's blood."

"You might be right," Aki agreed, "But somehow I doubt it. He has no features indicating that he is part demon."

"Remember, some youkai can look like humans," Yumeko pointed out.

"True," Aki nodded, "But nothing in Shiro's aura speaks of demon ancestry."

__

'What about his sword?' Yumeko wanted to ask. But she kept her mouth shut. The secret power of the Tetsusaiga would remain a secret!

***

Unknown place ~ Back with the shadowy figures

After they're little interview with Shiro/Inuyasha, the two shadows began to play their game once more…

"What did I roll?" Figure #2 asked. The other shadow looked at the black dice and replied.

"A two and a one."

"Damn! Not enough!" Figure #2 growled. Figure #1 chuckled slightly.

"I told you before, don't complain," Figure #1 scolded, "You only have yourself to blame when it comes to your bad luck."

"Shut up," the other shadow snarled, "Alright, for now, I'll pass my turn, and save it for later so that I can have two moves later."

"Planning something big, I see," Figure #1 murmured, "Not that it will do you any good. It's my roll." Picking up the black dice that the other shadow had previously rolled, Figure #1 gave the dice a toss. Figure #2 looked at the numbers that came up.

"A three and a one," Figure #2 declared, "That number is too low to summon up a new player."

"That's alright," Figure #1 shrugged, "We don't need any new players for awhile. Hmm. Let's see. I'll move this piece here."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Figure #2 asked when the other player moved the pieces, "You've been giving that group a lot of trouble lately. I mean with all those false trails…"

"Oh well," the other shrugged and handed its companion the set of black dice, "Your turn."

***

Back with Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo

"How much longer 'til we get there?" Shippo moaned.

"Not far," Sango answered, "Perhaps another day or so."

"A _day_?!" the kitsune whined.

"Don't worry Shippo-chan," Kagome soothed, "We'll be there faster than you -"

"Kukukukukukukukkukukuku!!!!" an insane laugh interrupted Kagome. The four travelers looked up to see everyone's favorite psychopathic baboon wannabe. 

"Naraku!" the group gasped. The demon jumped down from his branch to stand right in front of the four.

"Very observant," Naraku murmured, "However smart you have all become, I cannot allow you to pass." Suddenly, a shadowy rope-like substance wrapped itself around the group, making them unable to move.

"What's this?" Sango cried. Meanwhile Miroku frowned, suspicion stamped on his features.

"I must say, Naraku, this really isn't your style," the young monk said, "What happened to all the poison vapors and giant wasps? And did you actually compliment us earlier?" The white clothed demon in front of them laughed.

"You have gotten smart, houshi-sama," "Naraku" laughed, "I am not Naraku."

"Then who are you?!" Sango demanded. "Naraku" smirked at her.

"One who is merely interested," he replied, "I'd like to see if you can free yourself from these binds by yourself. Just like how I would love to see if Inuyasha can get rid of that bracelet I gave him."

"You were the one to put that spell on Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered, "Why?"

"Because I could," the false Naraku replied, "And because I had orders to do so. Like I said before, I am interested to see if you can fix things by yourself."

"You're just as bad as the real Naraku," Miroku whispered. The false Naraku laughed.

"Thank you, houshi-sama," "Naraku" said with a mocking smile, "And since I'm needed elsewhere, I must bid you good day." And with that, the false Naraku disappeared.

***

Back with the shadowy figures

"Well, that was interesting!" Figure #2 murmured. Its companion nodded.

"Yes, but the encounter was too short for my liking," Figure #1 replied, "As I said before, I believe it's your turn."

"Give me the dice," Figure #2 said, snatching the black cubes from its companion's hand. Tossing the dice, Figure #2 waited for the black dice to stop spinning. When they finally came to a halt, Figure #1 looked at the dice. 

"A six and a five," Figure #1 announced, "Congratulations, darling sibling, your luck is improving."

"Feh!" Figure #2 snorted, "It's about time!" Its sibling laughed.

"I do believe we've been controlling Inuyasha's fate for too long," Figure #1 laughed, "You're starting to sound like him."

"Shut up, and play the Game," Figure #2 growled, "For my next move, I think I'll bring this player back into the action."

"Waking up little Shiro, then?" Figure #1 asked, "You were always a sucker for cute heroes. Face it! You like having Inuyasha as a child just as much as I do."

"Shut up," the second shadow growled, "All I want if for Inuyasha to get his memories back as quickly as possible, before everything gets messed up."

"Calm down, darling sibling," Figure #1 laughed, "Nothing bad will happen. You'll see."

"That's what you said when you brought Kikyo back to life," Figure #2 grumbled.

"So that wasn't my best move, so what?" the other shadow shrugged.

"Feh."

***

Back in Aki's hut

Aki and Yumeko went back to the main room to rejoin the others, bringing the teapot. As the pair was passing out tea and cups, the group heard a small moan.

"Is it morning already?" a sleep voice demanded. Shiro was sitting up and rubbing his eyes, "'Cause if it isn't, then I'm going back to bed."

"Don't you dare go back to bed!" Kumo snarled, glaring at the five-year-old. Shiro blinked.

"What's up with him?" Inuyasha asked. Yumeko smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about the spider over there," the Dream demon laughed, "He was just worried sick about you. It was rather cute."

"Shut up, dreamer!" Kumo snarled back at her. Yumeko laughed again. Inuyasha blinked.

"Um, you're Yumeko, right?" Shiro asked, "The woman Kimiko-chan brought home?"

"That's right," Yumeko nodded, looking at him strangely.

"Are you alright, Shiro-chan?" Miho asked, coming over and feeling his head, "You sound a bit dazed."

"Yeah, why shouldn't I be?" Inuyasha asked.

"What is the last thing you remember, Shiro-chan?" Aki asked, also coming over.

"We had all just gotten back home, and Kimiko introduced us to Yumeko," the boy replied, "That was just a few minutes ago."

"No, it wasn't," Kimiko whispered, her face pale, "That was a long time ago."

"Don't you remember the night we spent in that cave?" Miho asked. Shiro shook his head.

"Shiro-chan," Kumo began, taking a deep breath, "What are Yumeko and I?

"You're Yumeko and Kumo," the boy replied.

"I didn't ask _who_ we are, I asked _what_," Kumo corrected.

"Aren't you human?"

"No," Yumeko shook her head. "We're youkai."

"You don't look it," Shiro said.

"Some youkai can take human forms," Yumeko sighed, tired of having to repeat the same information so many times.

"But there's always something that gives youkai away," Inuyasha protested.

"What?" Yumeko asked. Shiro paused, not quite sure what to say.

"Haven't we done this before?" Kumo asked with a laugh.

"Um, Shiro-chan," Kimiko began, "Do you remember Kikyo?"

"Who?" Shiro blinked. 

"They miko who shot you, don't your remember?" Kumo asked.

"Oh. So that's why I hurt a lot," Inuyasha mused aloud. The others sweat dropped.

***

A few minutes later, still in Aki's hut

"Are you saying that Shiro has forgotten the past couple of days?!" Kumo demanded, glaring at Aki. The young magician sighed at the demon's anger. The adults had made Kimiko and Inuyasha/Shiro go outside so that they could talk in peace.

"There's no need to bit my head off, Kumo-san," Aki sighed, "It's not my fault."

"Do you have any idea why Shiro-chan's memories were erased?" Yumeko asked. 

"I have a few guesses, but I'm not entirely sure," Aki replied, "The most likely possibility is that Kikyo did something to Shiro-chan that made him lose all his memories."

"I wonder what Kikyo has against Shiro-chan," Miho mused out loud, "I mean, what was their relationship anyway?"

"Well, judging by what that baka miko did, I'll say that their relationship wasn't wonderful," Kumo muttered.

"I wish Shiro could tell us more about Kikyo," Miho sighed wistfully.

"Well, maybe he can," Yumeko said.

"What are you talking about, dreamer?" Kumo asked.

"Simple," the female youkai said calmly, "Although he may not be able to tell us directly, Shiro still can help us. I can go into his mind and look in his memories."

"Have you forgotten that Shiro has forgotten his memories?" Kumo asked with an edge to his voice.

"Even when someone has forgotten something, it's still stored within their mind. The only thing is they can't access it," Yumeko explained, "But with my powers, I can. As long as Shiro doesn't have any mental barriers, that is."

"Well, I don't think that will be a problem," Aki said, "Shiro-chan is too young to have built up barriers."

"Good," Yumeko nodded, "Now all we need to do is to wait for him to go to sleep."

"Why?" Kumo asked.

"It's easier to get inside his mind when he's dreaming," Yumeko answered.

"Oh," Kumo nodded.

"Do you think you could take someone with you, Yumeko-chan?" Miho asked

"Huh?" everyone in the room blinked.

"Can Yumeko bring someone with her when she goes into Shiro-chan's mind?" Miho repeated.

"I'll go," Kumo and Aki said at the same time. Both men looked at each other in surprise.

"Sorry, spider, but you can't come," Yumeko shook her head, "It would be too much strain on Shiro-chan if _two_ youkai were wandering in his mind. When you go into someone's mind, you go in spirit form. And in spirit form, a youkai's negative energy doubles at the very least. We give off too much negative energy as it is being demons. With all that negative energy wandering about in his head, Shiro-chan will at best go insane or die, unless he was part youkai himself. And we're not quite sure about that yet."

"That makes sense," Kumo admitted grudgingly, "Isn't that one of a dream youkai's main attacks? Sending negative energy into a person's mind to drive them insane?"

"Yes," Yumeko nodded, "That's why it has to be someone human that goes with me. Humans don't give off as much negative energy as youkai do. I'm already putting Shiro at a risk by going into his mind myself. However, I don't think I should bring Aki. He's a magician, and I have no idea what his magic will do to Shiro-chan's mind. It could be just as bad a bring another demon with me."

"Well, it looks like Miho-san is the one that's going," Aki said, looking at Miho, "Tell us everything that happens, alright?"

"Sorry," Miho shrugged, "But I have something else I need to do. It looks like Yumeko-chan is going by herself." Kumo looked at the young woman in surprise. She ignored his surprised eyes.

"That's alright with me. Now that that's settled, all we have to do is wait for Shiro-chan to go to sleep," Yumeko said.

"That shouldn't be too hard with all the times he gets knocked out!" Miho said with a half-hearted laugh.

***

Back with the shadow figures

"They seem to have got something there," Figure #1 murmured. Its sibling nodded.

"And they thought up all by themselves," Figure #2 added, "Our little players are getting smart. Pretty soon they won't need us anymore."

"Good," Figure #1 sighed, "That means they're growing up."

"Do you think Yumeko-san's plan will work?" Figure #2 asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Figure #1 shrugged, "Let's watch and find out."

"You know, my twin, if they do succeed, that means I win this Game," Figure #2 reminded him.

"I don't think so," the other shadow smirked.

"Why do you say that?"

"Inuyasha is too stubborn to give up his secrets willingly."

Author-chan's notes: Let me take this time to explain about the shadowy figures. Yes, they are playing a game with the Inuyasha characters as pawns. And contrary to popular belief they do _NOT_ represent good and evil. They represent aspects of _fate_. They aren't good or evil, simply interested in what goes on. If you look closely, they don't try to dictate the lives of the characters, rather they throw in some obstacles to see if the characters can overcome them by themselves, or try to help them out a bit, if they feel like it. Sometimes they even whisper suggestions to the characters, kind of like how Figure #2 spoke to Kikyo pretending to be her little "conscience". I understand if this is a bit confusing, but don't worry about it too much. Anyway, they're moods can be kind of shifty, that's why half the time they help while half the time they aren't so helpful. 

I'll explain about the Game those two are playing. Their Game isn't based on which characters beat up the others, but rather on what happens to Inuyasha. Figure #2 is trying to get Inuyasha's memories back as soon as possible. Figure #1 wants Inuyasha to relive and have a better childhood, _then _get his memories back. That's why they're doing all this stuff.

If you're confused about the rules of the Game let me help. First off, there's the dice. Depending on what numbers are rolled, allows the players to figure out how they move, or influence the Game/story. Rolling a six or lower doesn't allow the players to do much. Mostly it only allows them to give suggestions to the characters in the story via the mind. Most of the time the characters don't listen, hence no impact on the Game/story. Rolling a seven or higher allows the players to do more, such as to bring in new pawns/characters into the Game/story or to influence the Game/story directly. Rolling doubles allow the player to have two moves in one turn. If a player was to pass a turn, then he/she/it can have two moves later. However, a player is only allowed to store three turns at a time to use later. 

Well, this little explanation will either clear up some things about the shadowy figures or make things a bit complicated. If you have any more questions about the shadowy figures, please review me and I'll answer your questions in my Author's notes. Hopefully they'll be a bit clearer. Well, see ya later!


	17. Sunsets

Author-chan's notes: Hello everyone! Meet chapter 17! Enjoy!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Seventeen: Sunsets)

Back with Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku

"So, anyone have any bright ideas how to get out of this?" Shippo asked. It had been ten minutes since the fake Naraku had left, and the group was still trying to figure out how to get rid of the shadow-like rope. For some strange reason, Shippo wasn't tied up by the spell.

"I have an idea," Miroku piped up, "There's an ofuda in my robes. If I can reach it, I can break this spell."

"Then do it!" Kagome and Sango yelled. Miroku smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, but I can't," the monk stated, "I can't reach the paper with my arms tied up like this. However, if one of you lovely ladies come over here and help me grab it…"

"Don't even try it," Sango growled, "You just want one of us close enough to you to grope."

"Don't be so harsh, Sango-san," Miroku said in a horrified voice, "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"Because you're a hentai," both girls chorused. Miroku sulked.

"Shippo, go help Miroku get his ward paper," Kagome sighed. Miroku sulked even more.

***

In outskirts of the forest by Aki's village with Kumo and Miho

After their discussion in Aki's hut, Kumo went out for some fresh air. Miho decided to follow him. As Kumo looked towards the west, he watched the sun fall from the sky, bathing the land and the sky with the red and gold of the sunset.

"Are you alright, Kumo-san?" Miho asked, touching the demon's shoulder. He nodded curtly still watching the sunset.

"I guess so," Kumo murmured. Then suddenly he snarled, turning away from the glory of the sun the look at Miho, "No, I'm not alright! Kuso, I want to help Shiro-chan. But I can't. I feel useless. I need to do something!"

"Then come with me," Miho murmured. Kumo turned to face her, his eyes wide.

"W-what?" the spider youkai sputtered. Miho smiled softly, and looked down.

"I want to go out and find Inuyasha, your brother's murderer," she explained. Kumo's jaw tightened.

"Why?" he demanded, "Do you want to get killed?"

"No!" she answered with a blush, grabbing his arm, "I want to know why he killed your brother. I want to know how strong he is."

"Explain," Kumo ordered. Miho sighed.

"You want revenge for your brother's death," Miho began, "To do that, you want to kill Inuyasha. I want to know Inuyasha's reason for killing your brother because he might have had a good reason, or you might be mistaken and Inuyasha didn't kill your brother at all. If you two got into a fight you might end up killing an innocent person. And I want to know how strong Inuyasha is because what if he's _too_ strong? You could end up getting killed!"

"How do you think you're going to get answers from the hanyou?" Kumo asked, "I doubt Inuyasha would let you walk up to him and ask him a couple of questions. He'll slice you to ribbons! And besides that, what about other dangers?"

"That's why I want you along," the girl answered, "You can protect me from most, if not all, things. I just want you to be prepared. I don't want you to die."

"Why do you care if I die or not?" Kumo hissed, his crimson eyes strangely hard. Miho glared up at him. Kumo blinked in surprise; her eyes were full of tears. But even more surprising, she went up to him and hugged him fiercely, burying her head into his chest.

"I care," Miho murmured into the cloth of his kimono, "because I think, no, I _know_ I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Kumo was silent for a moment. Then he began stroking her hair.

"Alright, I'll go with you," he whispered, "And -and I love you too."

"Thank you," Miho murmured back. Then the couple shared a kiss, one full of promises and hopes and dreams as the sun washed the pair in a dark red-gold.

__

'Maybe things will work out,' Kumo thought as he kissed Miho, completely forgetting to make his usual wish to the setting sun, _'Maybe…' _

***

Meanwhile back with Miroku, Kagome, Sango, and Shippo

"Have you got the ofuda yet, Shippo-chan?" Kagome asked.

"Not yet," the kitsune answered, "Bend down more, Miroku."

"I think it would be better if you or Sango-san did this, Kagome-sama," Miroku said with a sigh, bending down for Shippo. 

"I know what you're thinking, houshi-sama," Sango growled, glaring at the monk, "Stop picturing me naked!"

"Actually, I wasn't doing that," Miroku said, "But thanks for the idea!"

"If I could move…" Sango snarled. Miroku "eep"ed. 

"I think I've got it!" Shippo cried triumphantly. Quickly, the little fox demon pulled out some papers. There wasn't an ofuda in the lot.

"What are those?" Kagome asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" Miroku said instantly, trying to hide the papers by stepping on them. However, Shippo was able to grab one of them.

"Hey, isn't this what Kagome calls a 'photo'?" Shippo asked, stumbling slightly on the foreign word.

"Um, well, uh," Miroku stuttered, turning pale.

"Hey look!" Shippo cried cheerfully, "This one has Kagome and Sango taking a bath in it!"

"WHAT?!!!" both girls yelled, a dark ki appearing around them. Miroku gulped

"You used my instant picture camera to take photos of Sango and me bathing?!!!" Kagome yelled. Miroku coughed.

"Maybe once or twice."

"When I get out of here, you're going to die!" Sango snarled. Miroku "eep"ed again.

***

Meanwhile with Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and Rin

"Rin tired, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin complained, yawning a bit. The demon lord stopped for a moment, then nodded.

"We will rest here," Sesshoumaru announced, glaring at Jaken as if to dare the toad-like demon to question him. Jaken didn't take up the dare.

"Go, gather firewood," Sesshoumaru demanded. 

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken said meekly, privately grumbling to himself. As soon as Jaken left, Sesshoumaru looked west at the setting sun. Ever since his half brother, Inuyasha, had been born, Sesshoumaru associated the sunset with his little brother. The reds and golds matched Inuyasha's clothes and eyes exactly. He could never make the same comparison with himself. He disliked wearing red (that color reminded him of Inuyasha too much), and although both he and his brother had golden eyes of the same shade, Inuyasha's eyes burned with a light -a fire -identical to the sun's. Sesshoumaru's eyes were the exact opposite; they were icy and cold despite their bright color. Sesshoumaru smiled slightly, so small it was almost invisible. The setting sun truly was Inuyasha: the color, the fieriness of his spirit, and the fact setting sun was only half of the true sun, just as Inuyasha was only half of a true youkai, proved this. Over the years, Sesshoumaru had developed the habit of thinking his thoughts to the dying sun, pretending it was Inuyasha. 

__

'Well, little brother,' Sesshoumaru thought, _'you have gotten yourself in trouble again, no doubt. You better not be dead, for I, Sesshoumaru, plan to be the one to call myself your slayer. Your wench no doubt is worried to death for you. You sicken me, Inuyasha. You have become human, like your mother was. Humans are weak, and in the end they will crumble. And yet you, with our father's great blood in your veins, have joined them, they who hated and feared you. You truly are the splitting image of our father. Good-bye, little brother. Sleep well while you can, for I, Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands am coming for you.' _

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked, tugging on his sleeve.

"Yes, Rin?" the demon lord answered, looking down at the human.

"What are you doing?" the little girl asked innocently.

"Nothing, Rin. Nothing at all."

***

In Yumeko's hometown with Miyuki, Matriarch of the Dream Youkai Clan

"Where is that girl?" Miyuki muttered to herself. It had been some time since Yumeko had set out to get Tetsusaiga, but so far she had not returned. In fact, Yumeko had broken all contact with the Clan since she left. 

"Perhaps she died," a voice by the doorway coolly suggested. Miyuki didn't even have to turn around to know it was Yugata, her son and Yumeko's brother. Yugata was tall and slender, with slanted solid green eyes that could pierce through a person's soul. His dark hair was short (shorter most dream youkai), cut just above his earlobes, and often untidy. Today he was wearing the short brown outfit of a farmer, complete with sandals and a huge straw hat that currently was hanging down his back. Like Yumeko, Yugata served as a spy for the Dream Clan. Currently he was stationed as a spy in a village that the Clan believed held a piece of the Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls. 

"You maybe right," Miyuki agreed, "I suppose we should find a replacement for her. Do you know of anyone who is available?"

"Yes," Yugata answered with a smirk, "Me." He presented his grandmother with a small silk blue bag, embroidered with golden phoenixes. Untying the drawstrings of the bag, Miyuki picked up the small pink sliver that was inside. Holding it up, the shard glowed with an unearthly light.

"A piece of the Shikon no Tama," Miyuki breathed, "You have done well, Yugata. For your reward, keep the shard. For your next mission, you shall have Yumeko's."

"I hear and obey, Mistress of the Dream Clan," Yugata said with a bow. Then, with a turn of his heel, Yugata sauntered off.

***

Back at Aki's hut with Kumo, Aki, Miho, Yumeko, Kimiko, and Inuyasha/Shiro

"WHAT?!" four voices cried at once. Both Miho and Kumo blushed slightly.

"Miho-san and I going to go visit my brother's old home," Kumo sighed.

"Now?" Kimiko asked, "Why now?"

"Curiosity," Miho answered.

"There's a saying in the future called 'Curiosity killed the cat'," Aki said icily.

"We'll be fine," Miho protested, "Kumo will protect me."

"Perhaps. But can he protect you from your family?" Yumeko asked. With her conversations with Miho, the dream demon got to know how protective Miho's parents could be. Miho cringed, recalling her parents' attitudes.

"I agree with Yumeko-san," Aki said, "You know as well as I do that your family will never agree to you going off on your own."

"But I'll be with Kumo," Miho pointed out.

"You know how mistrustful your parents are about strangers," Aki said, "If they knew about Kumo they wouldn't let you a hundred paces next to him, and that's if he was human. If they found out he was a youkai, they'd try to kill him, and lock you up in a hut."

"I'm sure we can talk them around," Miho said confidently. Aki snorted.

"What would you tell them?" Aki asked sarcastically, "'Mother, Father? Please meet Kumo. He's a stranger in town. He also happens to be a spider youkai who once kidnapped me. By the way, do you think I can go off to a strange place that I've never been to before with him as my only companion?'" Miho glared at him.

"I know better than that!" the girl snapped, "I'll just tell them that I'm off picking plants or something."

"And when you don't come home right away? What then?" Aki argued, "The whole village will be looking for you, positive that you were kidnapped by a youkai again. And when they notice Kumo is gone as well, they'll put two and two together. Do you want that?"

"No!" Miho cried.

"Not to mention that baka Masato will probably follow you too," Shiro piped up.

"Masato! That's it!" Aki cried, "Shiro-chan, you're a genius!"

"I am?" the boy questioned, but soon the confused look turned smug, "Of course I am!" Kimiko hid a giggle.

"Explain please?" Kumo asked. Aki smirked.

"Just have Masato accompany you, Miho-san," Aki began, "Your parents will approve if they think Masato is the one who is going with you."

"Wait a minute!" Kumo growled, "I'm the one who is supposed to be going!"

"Let me finish, Kumo-san," Aki said calmly, "Masato will accompany you, and when in the forest, Kumo can join up with them, as if by chance."

"But how will they ditch the baka?" Shiro asked.

"Simple," Aki replied, "When they get a little bit further into the forest, I can come in, grab Masato, and bring him back to the village."

"But won't everyone notice that he's back and Miho is not?" Kimiko asked.

"No," Aki said, the smirk on his face growing bigger, "We'll just keep him here in the hut, all tied up. When Miho and Kumo come back we can let him loose, right after I erase some of his memories."

"That's perfect!" Kimiko, Miho, and Yumeko squealed. 

"Can I torture him while he's here?" Inuyasha asked eagerly.

"No!" Aki said instantly.

"It's not like he's going to remember it," Shiro pointed out.

"I said no," Aki said firmly.

"Feh."

***

One minute later

"Alright freak, why did you call me here?" Masato asked Aki angrily. The young magician had quickly called his rival over as soon as they had finished talk over the details of their plan. Shiro/Inuyasha and Kimiko were in another room.

"Actually, Masato-san, I wanted to ask a favor from you," Miho said with a smile. Masato grinned like an idiot and took her hand into his.

"What can I do for you, oh lovely Miho-san?" Masato asked, a goofy grin plastered all over his face. Kumo, seeing Masato's expression, growled slightly at the other male. Masato ignored him.

"Do you mind accompanying me too another town?" Miho asked sweetly, "I'm afraid to go by myself, and I'm sure a brave strong man like you can protect me."

"Uh-huh," Masato said stupidly, nodding his head. Kumo's growl became louder.

"So you will come with me?" Miho asked, her eyes bright. Masato nodded again and began petting Miho's hand. Kumo's crimson eyes flashed blood red, and his fangs began to show.

__

'How dare that human touch my_ mate!'_ Kumo thought, jealousy coursing in his veins, _'Must kill!!!!!'_

"Uh oh," Yumeko murmured, "The spider is about to lose it."

"What?" Aki asked, confusion in his gold-flecked eyes.

"Male youkai tend to be very possessive, especially when it comes to their mates," Yumeko explained, "Spider-boy over they has obviously claimed Miho as his own. Any other male that tries to show interest in her will be ripped to shreds by Kumo. It's youkai instinct. Nothing can fight that."

"But we need Masato to carry out our plan," Aki whispered back urgently, "Can you calm him down?"

"Miracles are for gods," Yumeko deadpanned. Aki sighed.

"I guess I better stop him then," the magician muttered. He grabbed Kumo's arm. The spider youkai turned to face him. Aki gulped in fear. Kumo's blood red eyes were even more disturbing than normal, his round pupils having morphed into the dilated pupils of a cat's. The magician hoped he never had to see another person with that much bloodlust in their eyes ever again. Aki also noticed that the fangs in Kumo's mouth dripped venom. He knew in a flash that if he were touched by the poison his flesh would be burned away instantly. Aki glanced over to Miho and Masato. The later seemed completely obvious to Kumo's transformation. Miho, on the other hand, had worry stamped on her features.

"Kumo, you baka!" Aki hissed at the demon, trying to ignore Kumo's fiendish appearance, "Remember the plan! We need Masato! Get a hold on yourself!" Kumo snarled at Aki, but began to change back to his purely human form. However, the bloodthirsty look in his eyes never disappeared. Miho and Aki let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, now that everything is settled," Miho said, "Let's go talk to my parents, Masato-san." Masato nodded, and with that, he and Miho walked out of the hut. As soon as they were gone, Kumo whirled around to glare at Aki.

**__**

"Why did thou stop me?" Kumo snarled, his anger overcoming him so much that he slipped back into using his youkai voice. Aki glared back at the snarling youkai, looking braver than he felt.

"You know as well as I do that if you had killed Masato, the plan would have been ruined. Now get a hold of yourself!" Aki ordered. Kumo snarled again.

"I'm surprised at you, spider," Yumeko tsked, "You're acting like Miho-chan is your mate, but you haven't claimed her."

"What do you mean, Yumeko?" Aki asked, "You just said a few moments ago Kumo _had _claimed her."

"There aren't any markings on Miho," Yumeko began, "When a male youkai finds their mate, they tend to mark them so that everyone would know that the female is already taken. Not all youkai do this, but I'm very sure that the spider youkai still practice the custom of marking their mates. So Kumo, why haven't you claimed Miho-san yet?" Kumo looked at Yumeko in surprise. The question caught him off guard, causing the bloodlust in his eyes to ebb away.

"I-I can't," Kumo murmured, switching back to his human voice.

"And why not?" Aki and Yumeko asked together.

"You better do it soon before someone else claims her," Yumeko added.

"I mean, nobody is standing in your way except Masato, and Miho-san hasn't shown any real interest in him," Aki also added. Yumeko looked at him strangely.

"I thought you were interested in Miho-chan too," Yumeko said to the magician, "What changed your mind?"

"Well, I suppose I just realized that Miho-san isn't the one for me," Aki admitted, "She seems to be much happier with Kumo, and I can tell that she and him have a connection. Whenever someone finds their soul mate, an invisible string connects the two. I'm positive that string exists between Kumo and Miho."

"Oh," the two youkai murmured.

"That was very, um," Kumo began.

"Romantic," Yumeko ended. The only human left in the room blushed beet red.

"I'm not making this stuff up!" Aki said hotly, "It's true!"

"I think you'd make a fine poet, Aki," Yumeko said. Kumo nodded his agreement. Aki blushed even redder. 

***

Meanwhile with Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo

Kagome looked towards the setting sun. In a couple of minutes everything would be dark, and they still haven't gotten out of those blasted shadow-ropes! Kagome sighed sadly. Meanwhile, Shippo was still trying to fish out the ward paper from Miroku's robes.

"I think I have it!" Shippo cried out triumphantly, pulling out a new piece a paper from Miroku's robes. This time it really was an ofuda. Over the past few minutes, all that Shippo had been able to get from Miroku's robes were photos, magazines stolen from Kagome's backpack, homework papers (again stolen from Kagome), a few origami cranes (and once and awhile an origami dog or fish), and a scroll that contained what looked like a bunch of really bad poetry written by Miroku. 

"It's about time," Sango sighed, "Don't you agree Kagome-chan?"

"Hmm?" Kagome blinked, "I'm sorry, Sango-chan, I wasn't paying attention."

"Are you felling alright, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, "You seem a bit out of it."

"I'm fine," Kagome said, giving her friend a fake smile, "I'm just watching the sunset and wondering if Inuyasha is watching it too."

"Miroku," Sango murmured, "Hurry up and use that ofuda. We need to get out of here fast, before Kagome-chan gets too love-sick."

"Shippo, give me the paper," Miroku ordered. The little fox kit placed the paper into Miroku's hand and stepped back. Quickly, Miroku began to chant.

"I think it's working!" Kagome cried when she noticed that the shadow-ropes were beginning to dissolve.

"Just a little bit more power," Miroku grunted, sweat running down his brow. Then with a bright flash from the ofuda, the shadow-ropes disappeared, causing the ones bound by them to fall over in surprise with being let go so suddenly.

"Oh, it's good to be free again, don't you agree, Sango?" Kagome asked, picking herself up from the ground. The demon huntress nodded, also getting up.

"Miroku, you did it! That was great!" Kagome chirped, turning to the monk. Miroku didn't respond. Rather, he was still laying face down on the forest floor, unmoving. Sango walked over to him. Shaking the monk, she tried to wake him. When that didn't work, she flipped him over. The demon exterminator bent down closer to examine him, and after a few moments, she looked at Kagome, her face pale as smoke.

"K-Kagome," Sango whispered in shock, "He's not -he's not breathing!"

Author-chan's notes: CLIFFHANGER!!! I hope you're not all upset with how I ended the chapter. Gee, I wonder what happened to Miroku-sama. 

Director- *suddenly appearing out of nowhere* What are you talking about?! You're the one who is supposed to know what happened to the characters! You're the AUTHOR!!!!

Author-chan- True. *does a quick double take* Wait a second! Didn't I fire you, Director-san? *shrugs* Never mind that. Tune in next time, on "A Clean Slate".


	18. Journeys and Arrivials

Author-chan's notes: Chapter Eighteen! Things are really rolling now!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Eighteen: Journeys and Arrivals)

Back with Sango, Shippo, Kagome, and Miroku

"He's -he's not breathing!" Sango gasped again, her hands shaking. Miroku lay on the forest floor unmoving. Kagome felt faint. Shippo whimpered a bit. The whole group was in shock. Luckily, Kagome recovered quickly.

"Sango!" Kagome yelled, "Move out of the way so I can help him!" The demon huntress, although still stunned, moved so that her friend could get to the monk.

"Okay," Kagome murmured half to herself and half to Sango, "I once took a CPR class in school. I hope I remember everything." Taking a deep breath, Kagome began.

"Step one: Tilt the head back to open the air way," Kagome murmured, reciting each step for CPR as she did it, "Look, listen, and feel for breathing. If there is none, go to step two." Sango sat next behind Kagome, wringing her shaking hands.

"Okay," Kagome said, "He's not breathing, so I deliver two rescue breaths." Bending over Miroku, Kagome pinched his nose, and gave him mouth-to-mouth.

"Alright, now let's check for circulation," Kagome murmured after giving him the breaths. She sighed in relief when she noticed he had some.

"Good I don't have to do chest compressions," Kagome said with a smile, "I always went too fast according to my teacher."

"What next?" Sango asked, some color coming back to her cheeks when she noticed Kagome was relieved. Kagome frowned, and checked Miroku's breathing again.

"Still no breathing," Kagome muttered. Sango's face became pale again.

"WAHHHH!!!" Shippo cried, "Miroku's going to die!"

"No he's not!" Kagome yelled, "I just need to keep giving him rescue breaths until he starts breathing on his own." After saying that, the miko gave her fallen comrade another breath.

"Please, Kagome, can I do that?" Sango asked. Kagome frowned slightly, but nodded without any hesitation.

"Okay," Kagome nodded, "Just make sure his head is kept tilted, and that you pinch his nose when you give him breaths, okay? And it's one breath every five seconds." Sango nodded and took Kagome's place. Kagome watched her, making sure she didn't make any mistakes. She also monitored Miroku making sure he still had signs of circulation. Kagome looked towards the sky. The sun had set, the day was done, and the stars had begun to herald the night. 

***

In the forest with Miho and Masato

Miho sighed to herself. Her parents had quickly given their permission for Masato to accompany her on her journey, and the two had started right away. Masato didn't bother waiting for sunrise. Miho wasn't sure what bothered her more: Masato's eagerness to be alone with her, or her parents' speed in allowing him to be with her. She always knew that they wanted her to marry someone from the village, but she had never shown any interest in any of the boys there. She guessed that her parents were hoping that she and Masato were in love. Her father had even told Masato that he had her father's permission to marry her. All Masato had to do was ask.

Meanwhile Masato was in high spirits. He was in a dark forest with the girl he loved. And what made it better was that Miho wanted to be here with him! Life was good. Life was very good.

Unknown to Masato, there were three people waiting to ambush him. The tallest of them possessed crazed red eyes.

"Now?" Kumo whispered to Aki, unable to hide his glee. Aki sighed and nodded. An insane smirk spread across Kumo's face. 

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Aki murmured to Shiro, who was also with them, "You shouldn't even be here; you're still wounded."

"Do you really think I'm going to just stay at home and miss the chance of a lifetime? This is going to be fun," Inuyasha said, ignoring Aki's concerns. Aki sweat dropped when he noticed that the five-year-old boy had a smirk identical to Kumo's on his face. But he soon forgot about this as soon as he noticed that Kumo was no where to be seen.

"Kuso," the magician swore.

**__**

"Die, human!" Kumo snarled in his youkai voice. Masato didn't know what hit him. One moment he was having the time of his life, next he was pinned on the ground with an insane youkai at his throat trying to choke him to death.

"So much for our original plan!" Aki cried, rushing over with Shiro on his heels. 

"Oh dear," Miho murmured, covering her mouth with her hands. 

"Run, Miho-san!" Masato yelled, trying to be heroic, "I'll take care of this monster!"

**__**

"Did I not tell thee to die?!" Kumo snarled, punching Masato in the face. Masato got swirls in his eyes, but miraculously didn't pass out.

"Kumo, you baka spider!" Aki yelled, running over next to the deranged youkai, "Get a grip! We're not supposed to kill Masato!"

"Why not?" Inuyasha asked, also coming over, "I think that baka Masato deserves it!"

**__**

"My sentiments exactly," Kumo growled.

"I might as well be talking to a bunch of rocks," Aki muttered to himself, "We need Masato to finish out plan!"

"Why?" Shiro asked, blinking a few times, "We don't need him anymore."

"We need him to appear to come back with Miho-san when the quest is over!" Aki reminded the boy.

"Can't you cast an illusion of him or something?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well, um, yes, but that's beside the point!" Aki cried angrily.

**__**

"Methinks that we can kill this here fool, and the plan thou made would still work," Kumo stated calmly. Masato "eeped". Kumo punched him again.

"Would you stop that!" Aki snapped irritably, "I already explained, we do NOT kill Masato-san."

"How about later?" Shiro asked.

"NO!"

"Aww…" 

"We're going to keep Masato-san locked up until Kumo and Miho come back. When they do, we erase Masato's memories, and let him loose," Aki told the group before him, "We don't need any unnecessary blood on our hands."

"This is unnecessary blood," Inuyasha retorted, "This is Masato's blood!"

"Now look here, Shiro-chan!" Aki yelled. On the ground Masato snorted, temporarily forgetting his life-threatening position. Maybe that last hit he got from Kumo rattled his brains or something.

"Would you fools hurry up and stop arguing?" Masato huffed, "I have a date with Miho-san."

"You idiot!!!!" Aki yelled at Masato, "You are a hair-breaths away from getting your throat ripped out by an insane youkai and all you can think about is your 'date'?!"

"Shut up, freak!" Masato snarled. Aki's eye began to twitch. Normally the magician had a lot of patience, but once that patience had met its end then he tended to give into the pure rage that magicians were famous for.

__

"'FREAK'?!" Aki snarled, an angry aura of flames appearing behind him, "I'M TRYING TO SAVE YOU WORTHLESS HIDE, AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?!"

"I think he's lost it," Shiro whispered to Kumo. The spider demon nodded in agreement, and wisely moved out of Aki's way. Meanwhile, Aki's eyes switched to a magician's trademark yellow and a giant fireball was forming in his hands.

"Eep!" Masato squeaked, sounding exactly like a frightened mouse.

"Aki-san! Matte!" Miho cried out, quickly stepping in front of the fallen Masato. Aki, surprised at Miho's antics, lost control of the fireball he was holding. The magically created sphere disappeared in an instant. Miho sighed in relief. Then she turned to look down at Masato. Masato paled. The angry looks that Aki, Kumo, and Shiro/Inuyasha had directed his way were nothing compared to Miho's.

"You fool," the girl spat, her voice more icy than winter, "You have three people who all want to kill you just inches away from you, and you try to make them angrier! I ought to just leave you to them. You almost _deserve_ what's coming."

"M-Miho-san!" Masato sputtered.

"Be silent," Miho hissed, her eyes narrowing. Needless to say, Masato shut up pretty quickly.

"Does this mean we can kill Masato now?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes falsely wide and innocent.

"No," Miho said that icy tone still in her voice. Inuyasha/Shiro sighed loudly, but didn't push the matter. 

"Come on Shiro-chan let's tie this fool up," Aki sighed, his former anger having disappeared without a trace. 

"Can I tie the knots?" Shiro asked eagerly. Aki raised an eyebrow at the boy, but then shrugged in consent. 

"Sure, why not?" Aki murmured as he summoned some ropes out of thin air. The hanyou-turned-human looked at Masato with a look of insane glee as Aki gave him the ropes. Masato "epped" again.

"I suppose we better get going, Kumo-san," Miho said, holding her hand out to the spider demon. Kumo looked at the offered hand for a moment before clasping it eagerly. The two headed off on their journey leaving Masato, Inuyasha/Shiro, and Aki behind.

"Hey wait!" Masato protested as the two were leaving, "I was supposed to go with Miho-san!"

"Shut up, baka," Aki and Inuyasha growled at the same time.

***

Back with Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku

__

'Come on, houshi-sama!' Sango thought as she gave him another breath, _'Live! Live for me!'_

It had only been a few minutes since Miroku passed out, but to a certain demon huntress it seemed like hours. Miroku had stubbornly refused to breathe on his own. Sango was becoming more anxious by the second as was Shippo and Kagome. Luckily, Miroku's heat kept on beating, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. 

"This isn't working!" Kagome cried helplessly, "If he doesn't start breathing on his own soon, he might really die!"

"Don't give up hope yet," Sango said quickly before she gave the monk another breath. Kagome expected Sango to rise up again quickly, but instead the huntress stayed down, her lips locked with Miroku's. Kagome's eyebrows came together in confusion. What was Sango doing? Then suddenly, Sango sat up strait, and slapped the sleeping man before her.

"HENTAI!!!" Sango screamed. Kagome and Shippo blinked for a moment before they quickly realized that Miroku was awake, breathing on his own, and had groped Sango while she was giving him mouth-to-mouth.

"Miroku, just how long have you been awake?" Kagome asked weakly.

"Just for a minute or so," the monk admitted.

"Just couldn't resist getting kissed by Sango, huh?" Shippo snickered.

"I ought to kill you for making us worry like that," Sango growled.

"You were worried over me?" Miroku asked innocently, "Why thank you, Sango." Sango slapped him again

"Hentai," she hissed darkly, glaring at the hand that had tried to rub her backside. 

***

Back with Inuyasha/Shiro, Aki, and Masato

Masato was not in a good mood. He had recently gotten beat up by a psychopathic youkai (his face was beginning to get swollen and there were ugly bruises forming around his neck where Kumo tried to strangle him). Then soon after that, he nearly got burned into cinders by a raging magician. He shuddered just remembering the look in Aki's freaky yellow eyes. And after that the worse thing in the world happened -Miho scolded him and called him an idiot. Yep, Masato felt very low. But that's not all. To make matters worse he was trussed up like a stupid chicken and was being carried like a sack of rice by a nearly homicidal magician. Masato's hands and feet had been lashed together quite expertly and there was a dirty rag in his mouth that served as a gag. Masato gave a pathetic little tug at his bonds.

"Don't even try, baka," Shiro smirked triumphantly, "You can tug and pull with all your might, but you aren't going to get out of those ropes any time soon. The harder you tug, the tighter they'll become."

Masato scowled behind his gag, but knew what the boy said was right. One part of Masato's brain wondered how the pipsqueak -who had tied the knots -had learned how to tie them. Masato knew that the kid had no memories of his past -by this time the whole village knew -and he pondered where and how he learned how to tie such strong knots. Perhaps he had grown up in a fisherman's family…

All of Masato's speculations were pushed aside when he realized their little partly had stopped. Looking to the side with his right eye (the other one was currently swollen shut) Masato realized that Shiro was sitting on a fallen log panting a bit. 

"Are you alright, Shiro-chan?" Aki asked, concern coloring his voice.

"Yeah," Shiro shrugged, grinning weakly. But suddenly he winced, his hand going to his shoulder. When he withdrew his hand, it was covered with blood.

"Kuso!" Aki growled, tossing Masato to one side as if he was a piece of garbage. Masato made an indignant noise that both Shiro/Inuyasha and Aki ignored.

"I'm fine!" Inuyasha snapped when Aki bent down to take a better look.

"And I'm a rabbit!" Aki snapped right back, "That shoulder of yours is in bad shape. We need to change the bandages."

"I'm fine!" Shiro repeated. Aki ignored him and began pulling strips of cloth out of thin air. Aki wrestled off Inuyasha's top garments, and began cleaning and bandaging the boy's wounds. Shiro growled in annoyance.

"It looks as if you reopened your wound in your shoulder, Shiro-chan," Aki murmured, examining the arrow-created gash, "The wound on your side looks better than the one on your shoulder, but we still need to change the bandages."

"Stop fussing over me, Aki," Inuyasha demanded, "I'll survive. We need to get back to the village and hide the idiot over there before he figures out how to free himself."

"Shut up, Shiro," Aki growled his eyes shining yellow for a brief moment, "Your well being is more important right now."

"Stop treating me like a little kid!" Shiro snarled.

"You are a little kid!" the magician countered, "And you're wounded. So stop complaining and let me help you!" Shiro growled, but stopped resisting. In the meantime, Masato was still tugging at his bonds and getting nowhere.

"I'm going out to find some firewood," Aki announced after re-bandaging Shiro, "There is no way I'm letting you walk all the way back to the village in your condition, Shiro-chan. We'll camp out here tonight. Stay and watch over Masato and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Too late," Inuyasha snorted as he watched Masato give a vicious tug at his bonds and make a squeak of dismay when the ropes around his wrist cut of his circulation.

***

Back with Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku

"You really had us worried, Miroku," Kagome gently scolded, "Next time don't pull a stunt like that."

"Hai, Kagome-sama," the monk said gloomily. Sango rolled her eyes.

"Well, since you seem to be doing much better, can you gather us some firewood, Miroku-sama?" Kagome asked. 

"But of course, Kagome-sama," Miroku said ask he got up to do her bidding. As soon as he was out of sight, Sango too stood up.

"I'm going to go find some water," Sango said quietly, walking away. Kagome noted that the demon exterminator was taking the same path as Miroku.

"Okay, take your time," Kagome called back. As soon as she knew that Kagome could no longer see her, Sango broke into a run, trying to catch up with a certain hentai monk.

***

Back with Aki, a little while later

Aki walked around the woods, gathering up firewood. Part of him was worried about leaving Shiro alone with Masato, but the firewood was important. He growled in annoyance at the fact that although he could conjure up small things like rope and bandages, he couldn't do bigger things like a pile of firewood. The magician grumbled to himself and grabbed another piece of wood from the ground. 

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" a small voice nearby said. Aki froze. Pushing aside a few bushes, Aki discovered a small clearing. In it was a young girl about Shiro's age and two _youkai?!_

"Watch out!" Aki yelled. He ran over to the girl and pushed her away from the youkai, dropping his bundle of firewood in the process. 

"Ah!" the girl gasped as she hit the ground. Aki turned to the demons, his eyes narrowing.

"Keep away from the girl, monster," Aki hissed, "Or deal with me."

"Correction," a silky voice behind Aki stated, "Keep away from Rin, or this Sesshoumaru will slice you do ribbons."

"AHHHHHH!!!" Aki cried out, as a searing pain lashed out on his back. Falling to the ground, the magician realized with a flash that the taller of the youkai had moved behind him and had slashed his back with its claws. Turning his torso around, Aki tossed a handful of flames at the white-haired creature. The demon simply stepped to one side, letting the flames pass by him harmlessly. Suddenly the young magician found it hard to breathe as his opponent grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him off the ground.

"You are a very foolish human to attack Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands," the handsome youkai said calmly, "Your idiocy has cost you your life."

Aki began to gasp for air. Grabbing the youkai lord's arm, Aki tried prying him off, knowing it was a futile attempt. But then suddenly, he was dropped to the ground. The magician sat in the dirt, gasping for air.

"Name yourself, human," Sesshoumaru ordered. Aki didn't look up at him.

"Why should I?" Aki asked, still gasping for air.

"I hold your life in my hands," Sesshoumaru said, his voice empty of any emotion, "Your answer might save your life."

"I doubt it," Aki all but snorted. Again, the magician found himself in a strangle hold, courtesy of the Western Land's Demon Lord.

"You reek of the scent of my idiotic half-brother, human," Sesshoumaru said, looking at Aki coldly, "Where is he?"

"'Half-brother'?" Aki questioned, gasping for air, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Do not lie to this Sesshoumaru," the youkai ordered, tightening his hold, "Where is Inuyasha?"

__

'I-Inuyasha?' Aki thought to himself, _'Isn't that the name of that hanyou Kumo is after?'_

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Aki said again. 

"Fool," Sesshoumaru growled, flinging Aki to one side. Aki crashed into a tree, moaned once, and lay still. Sesshoumaru looked down at the crumpled heap, disgust clear in his hard golden eyes.

"Wait here, Rin. Jaken, stay with her," Sesshoumaru commanded.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" the two piped up. Sesshoumaru walked towards the scent of his younger brother, noting that it was devoid of any youkai scent and was completely human.

__

'Odd. Tonight is not the new moon,' Sesshoumaru thought as a small smirk graced his normally cold features, _'How very interesting…'_

***

Back with Sango and Miroku

"Hmm?" Miroku blinked, hearing a sound behind him. Turning around, the monk came face to face with Sango.

"Why Lady Sango, what a surprise," Miroku began with a smile, "What can I -"

__

*SMACK!* The monk was cut off by the slap that Sango gave him across his cheek.

"Sango?" Miroku blinked rubbing his sore cheek. He wondered what was that he had done this time to provoke such an attack from the Hiraikotsu welding exterminator. It couldn't be that he tried to grope her. For once, his disobedient hands were behaving themselves. 

"You -you baka!" Sango yelled, tears in her eyes. Miroku blinked again. But before he could ask what was wrong, Sango began ranting at him.

"How dare you make me worry like that," the girl cried, "I thought you were dead or dying! How can you be so selfish?"

"I'm sorry, Sango," Miroku began quietly.

"Well, 'sorry' doesn't cut it," Sango growled. Miroku took one of her hands into his.

"Then what does?" the monk asked quietly.

"Promise me you won't do that again," Sango whispered. Miroku smiled at her.

"But of course, Lady Sango," Miroku murmured, "I suppose it was very selfish of me to do that. I won't worry you like that again."

"Good," Sango nodded, and before she knew what she was doing, she found herself hugging the monk. Miroku smiled to himself and hugged her back. That is until…

__

*SMACK* And once again Miroku found himself to be sporting the handprint of Sango's right hand on his cheek.

"Hentai," Sango growled, glaring down at the hand that had been poised over her backside, "Can't you go one minute without trying to grope me?"

***

Meanwhile with Shiro/Inuyasha and Masato

"Oi, brat," Masato grunted. He had been unable to until his bonds, but somehow the young man had spat out the gag that had been his mouth all this time.

"What do you want, baka?" Shiro growled, wearily. Shiro was not in a good mood. He was sitting in a forest in pain -although he'd never admit it to anyone -and was stuck babysitting an idiot while Aki wandered off. And to top it off, he felt too tired to go over and put the gag back into Masato's mouth, meaning he was forced to listen to the idiot's constant insults. (Of course he had too much pride to say that he was that tired.)

"Can you untie me?" Masato asked, "I promise I won't run off." Inuyasha simply growled and flicked him off, too tired to do much else. Masato bristled with rage.

"You brat!!!" Masato yelled.

"Shut up," Shiro growled, turning a bit to face the older boy. Shiro opened his mouth to say something else, when waves of pain overcame him.

"Chikuso," Inuyasha hissed, clutching his wounded shoulder. Blood began to seep through his bandages and clothes, to run all over his small hand.

"Damn, pipsqueak," Masato whispered, his horrified tone taking the sting out of his words, "What the hell happened to you? I had no idea you go hurt this bad."

"I don't need your pity, teme!" Shiro snarled, trying to fight another wave of pain.

"Ah, but you do need his pity, Inuyasha," a cool voice said from behind him. Shiro/Inuyasha slowly turned around to fix his wide violet eyes on the demonic specter before him. And then, without realizing it, his mouth and voice formed a word, a name, that he had forgotten.

"S-Sesshoumaru…"

Author-chan's notes: And there you have it, Chapter 18! Oh my, but it took me a long time to write this one! Nice little fluff with Sango and Miroku, some Sesshoumaru… Yep, this chapter isn't half-bad. I hope this pleases all you reviewers who have been complaining that this fic has been focusing too much on my OCs. Although, I will admit that you are kind of right. I can't help the fact that I grew to like Kumo, Aki, Miho, and Yumeko. Originally, Kumo and Yumeko were only supposed to appear briefly and then get killed or run away. But what do you know? I start giving them backgrounds, personalities, and reasons, and they took on a life of their own. *sigh* Hopefully soon I'll break out of that bad habit. 

Please R+R and keep this story alive!!!


	19. Complications

Author-chan's notes: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! And I'm very sorry about the teaser. I didn't know so many people wouldn't like it. I promise I'll never do that again and if you see that this fic is updated, it will be a real chapter not a teaser or an author's note/excuse. And here is the long awaited chapter 19! Tada! I'm so proud! *sniffles* 

Oh, and thanks to Sess-kun! He let me borrow his Inuyasha DVDs. I'm _so_ way ahead of Adult Swim thanks to him. I got to see Inuyasha go full youkai before they showed it in the US! It was cool and scary all at the same time. I think the episodes where Inuyasha goes full demon are my favorites. (Although the episodes with Ayame were interesting and the episode were Shippo and the Thunder Brother's sister meet up is really cute! But I was really disappointed when in the episode where Jaken steals Tetsusaiga Inuyasha does **NOT** go full youkai and slice the baka toad in half. *sighs* Sesshoumaru deserves a much better henchman. Well, at least he has Rin.) Thanks again, Sess-kun!

Now on with the fic!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Nineteen: Complications)

Back with Masato, Inuyasha/Shiro, and Sesshoumaru

"S-Sesshoumaru…" the word slipped out of Inuyasha's mouth so easily. The demon lord cocked an eyebrow, acknowledging the statement.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru murmured, looking down at the human child, "I see you've gotten yourself in trouble again."

"W-what?" the human child sputtered, coming out of his dazed state. On his wrist, the bracelet sparked and glowed. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed when he saw the silver band.

"I see," Sesshoumaru murmured, "That's quite a spell you're under, little brother."

"What the hell are you babbling about?!" Shiro yelled, "Who the hell are you?" Before Shiro could ask any more questions, Sesshoumaru's clawed hand shot out and grabbed the child wrist and pulled him closer. Inuyasha winced slightly as the rough treatment pulled at the wound in his shoulder a bit, making it bleed some more. On the ground, Masato made a noise of protest.

"Hey, you bushy-tailed freak!" the young human yelled, "Can't you see the brat's hurt? You can't go treating him like that!" 

"It would be wise of you to keep your mouth shut, human," Sesshoumaru said icily, glaring at Masato, "This is none of your concern."

"Like hell it is," Masato growled. In an instant, Sesshoumaru let go of his transformed brother, and grabbed Masato by the neck. Masato gurgled in dismay.

"You're even more of a fool than that other human from before," Sesshoumaru said with disdain in his voice, "At least the other one was not tied up, and had some magical skill."

"T-teme," Masato growled, fighting for breath. Sesshoumaru raised a delicate eyebrow.

"You're starting to sound like my brother," Sesshoumaru said with a slight frown. With a sharp flick of his wrist, the demon lord sent Masato flying into a tree. The young man was knocked unconscious instantly. Sesshoumaru snorted. The other human from before put up a better fight. How pathetic.

"Oi!" Shiro's voice called out to Sesshoumaru, "Why bother with small fish like him, and deal with me?" Sesshoumaru turned around slowly, acting like he had all the time in the world. Shiro was standing up, holding an unsheathed and non-transformed Tetsusaiga. Sesshoumaru let a small smirk grace his features.

"Do you really think you can defeat me as you are, Inuyasha?" the demon lord asked.

"Look, I'm not Inuyasha, okay?" Shiro snarled. Sesshoumaru's smirk grew larger.

"Is that so?" the demon lord mocked, "Then why are you holding his sword? And how did you know the name of Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands?" 

"I-I…" Shiro sputtered, his cheeks getting pale. On his wrist, the bracelet began sparking some more, looking like a miniature fireworks display. Suddenly, Inuyasha dropped his sword, and fell to the ground, screeching in pain. Sesshoumaru stood quietly as he noticed the young boy's image flicker and get replaced by the shadowy form of his younger brother in his hanyou form. But as quickly as the hanyou appeared, he was replaced by the shivering, wounded little boy.

"K-kuso," Shiro/Inuyasha hissed softly as his form shifted from the human child to the teenaged hanyou and then back again. He winced in pain.

"I suggest you fight that trinket's powers harder, little brother," Sesshoumaru said in a monotone voice, "That weak human body that you have been forced into won't be able to withstand the pain and pressure for much longer."

"You think I don't know that, teme?!" Inuyasha snarled, as he shifted between forms again, "Damn, but it feels like the stupid thing is ripping my soul apart!"

"It is, or at least, it will in time," Sesshoumaru said calmly. The younger brother's eyes widened and he shifted bodies again, this time settling on Shiro's face and form.

"W-what?" the young boy gasped slightly. His shocked mind numbly registered the cool feeling of his blood running down his shoulder and side. Shiro's wide violet eyes were completely focused on Sesshoumaru. Bending down so that he could be eye level with Shiro, Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders and drew him closer.

Whispering in the boy's ear Sesshoumaru asked, "Do you want it to end, Inuyasha? If you wish, this Sesshoumaru will kill you and end it all." Inuyasha snorted softly as his legs gave out from beneath him, finally succumbing to the pain. Closing his eyes and falling against the youkai lord's chest due to exhaustion, the younger brother gave his answer.

"Hell no, Sesshoumaru," the boy murmured, slowly fading into unconsciousness, "I've got stuff I've got to do, including killing you, teme."

"Heh," Sesshoumaru muttered, "I'd like to see you try, fool. And you better hurry up and heal, little brother. This Sesshoumaru wants to defeat you at your best, so take that silver trinket off the next time we meet." Inuyasha smirked slightly, nodded once, and let himself fall into oblivion. Sesshoumaru's face remained a blank mask as he held the sleeping form of his human brother.

***

Meanwhile with the shadowy figures 

(AN: been awhile since we heard from them, ne?)

"You baka!!!" Figure #2 shrieked at its counterpart, "You messed up the spell!"

"No I didn't," Figure #1 said, its voice slightly panicked, "It's Inuyasha. He's fighting the bracelet's powers too hard. You know how magic works. If you mess with it too much the results can be deadly."

"I knew turning Inuyasha into a human child was a big mistake," Figure #2 grumbled, "He's too stubborn to be tamed."

"Like a wild dog, eh?" Figure #1 joked weakly. The other shadow glared at it.

"You are a complete fool," Figure #2 growled, "We need to fix this. If Inuyasha keeps fighting the bracelet's powers like that, he'll end up ripping his soul in two."

"And what happens when he does that?" Figure #1 asked, although part of his mind already knew the answer.

"Inuyasha's soul, like anyone else's, is made up of two factions," Figure #2 began, "The first part is his light half, all his 'good' traits, and the second is his dark half, all of his 'bad' traits. Every living thing has good and bad, yin and yang, but Inuyasha is slightly different. His light half is characterized by his human blood."

"And his dark half by his demon blood, right?" Figure #1 added. Figure #2 nodded.

"So if his soul is split apart, the pieces would manifest themselves as a full blooded human and a full blooded demon," Figure #2 concluded.

"Kuso!" Figure #1 swore, its eyes widening, "But his demon half is a psychotic blood-thirsty killer!"

"Aa," Figure #2 nodded, "But that's not all. Due to the bracelet's influence on Inuyasha, his human half would remain in child form."

"So when Inuyasha splits his soul in two we'll have a helpless human child and a blood-crazed demon on our hands," Figure #1 murmured, "I have no doubt in my mind that the demon will kill his human half instantly. It's impossible to fuse a broken soul back together if part of it is dead!"

"That's right," Figure #2 growled, "If this goes on there will be a full youkai Inuyasha and there will be no way to turn him back to his human self or even his hanyou self. And it's all your fault! It was your idea to use that bracelet on Inuyasha! You always have the stupidest plans. Like that time you said 'Let's bring Kikyo back from the dead! She won't hurt anything.' You're such a baka! We need to stop Inuyasha's soul from splitting no matter what the cost!"

"How was I supposed to know what the side effect were?" Figure #1 growled, "Kuso, but we need to get that bracelet off of Inuyasha and fast!"

"We can't do that!" Figure #2 growled, "It's against the rules! We're not supposed to do anything directly. The best we can to is influence someone else to take off the bracelet for us."

"Who then?" Figure #1 asked.

"Kikyo is out of the question," Figure #2 murmured half to himself, "Inuyasha won't let her near him anymore, I think. Naraku, definitely not. He'll probably try to kill Inuyasha when he finds out about this. Sesshoumaru is too stubborn and has too much pride to lower himself to helping his half-breed brother. Kagome-san and her group are too far away, but I think they are our only hope. We just have to wait for them to get there."

"What about Inuyasha's new friends?" Figure #1 asked.

"That's a possibility," Figure #2 agreed, "But we can't tell them strait out what to do. It's against the rules. The thing with Kagome-san and her friends is that they would probably figure out what to do once they notice what's amiss with Inuyasha. The bracelet is clearly magical and they'll notice it right away. Plus, Inuyasha doesn't normally wear silver jewelry like that. Also, Kagome-san's miko powers could get it off. And that's another thing with using Inuyasha-san's new friends. Even if Inuyasha's new friends knew that had to take off the bracelet, they wouldn't know _how _to take it off."

"Aki's a magician," Figure #1 pointed out, "He might know how to do it. And didn't Yumeko mention something about looking into Inuyasha's dreams sometime soon? She'll be able to find out that they need to take off the band."

"That's very true," Figure #2 agreed, "So I suppose they're going to be our best bet, eh? But just in case, I'll make sure that nothing gets in the way of Kagome-san and her group. The faster they get to Inuyasha, the better his chances are."

"Aa," the other shadow nodded, "Well then, let's get to work."

***

Back with Aki, a little while later

Aki groaned slightly, as he slowly opened his eyes. Placing a hand behind his head, the young magician withdrew his fingers, noticing they were covered in droplets of his blood. His eyes flaring a light gold for an instant, Aki swore.

"Damn, but that youkai sure packs a punch," Aki groaned as he slowly began to stand, fighting a slight wave of nausea as he did so. The young man did a brief inspection of himself. A bleeding scalp, a badly slashed back, and a bruised throat were all recorded in the magician's mind. Scanning the area around him in the same quick manner, Aki discovered that the two youkai and the little girl from before were gone. What did surprise him the most though (besides the fact that the youkai let him live) was the fact that right next to him, piled up neatly, was the firewood he had been collecting. Aki laughed softly.

"So you tidy up my wood-pile, but you leave my body in shambles," Aki said out loud, a small smirk creeping up on his features, "You could at least left me bandages." Shrugging to himself, the magician bent down to pick up his wood. As he straitened, his mind suddenly sprang alive as he remembered something. Cursing himself for what an idiot he was, Aki ran off, the firewood tucked under one arm.

__

'Damn, I forgot about Shiro!' 

***

In Aki's hut with Yumeko

Yumeko sat on the futon in her room, unconsciously fiddling with her kimono sleeve. Although the dream demon would never admit it, she was worried about the others. Aki and Shiro should have been back by now. Over the period of time that she had known them, somehow all of them (Shiro, Kumo, Miho, Kimiko, and Aki) had become some sort of second family of hers. Letting her mind wander, Yumeko thought briefly about each member of her new "family". There was Kumo, the arrogant spider demon on a mission of vengeance. There was Miho, the young human female who Yumeko was proud to call her friend. Yumeko smirked as she thought of those two. She wouldn't be surprised if the couple came back from their trip carrying a chubby spider hanyou baby with them. Actually, she would be surprised if they _didn't_ come back with a baby or at least with a pregnant Miho. 

Drawing her mind away from those two, the dream demon focused her mind on Aki. The magician was insanely protective, almost to the point where it was obsessive. It was kind of sweet in a way, though. Talking about sweet, Yumeko began thinking about the magician's little sister. 

The young girl was innocent and sweet. After all, it was Kimiko who had offered Yumeko shelter in the first place. Yumeko frowned slightly. In turbulent times like these, Yumeko wondered how long Kimiko's naiveté would last before she became jaded and hard like Yumeko and Kumo were. Even Aki and Miho, although they hid it well, had built up protective walls around themselves. They weren't fools. They knew life wasn't all good and kind. Perhaps Kimiko's innocence came from her being a child. But Yumeko threw that thought away as soon as she remembered Shiro.

Shiro was an enigma. He was extremely defensive, and hated to be treated as a child. Yumeko felt that he had seen more horrors with those wide violet eyes of his than Yumeko could even begin to fathom, despite the fact he had forgotten everything. He had built some impressive mental walls around himself. Yumeko doubted that she or any of the others had actually seen Shiro's true self. Yumeko smiled softly. It had been this little boy that had brought all of them together in the most interesting manners. Yumeko's thoughts drifted to Shiro's sketchy past. How did a human child come across the Tetsusaiga? And who was that miko, Kikyo, who attacked Shiro so viciously? What horrors had those violet eyes seen? These questions -and many others -would be answered, and soon. The instant Aki came back with that child in tow, Yumeko planned to look into his suppressed memories. 

***

Outside of the village

Yugata, Yumeko's elder brother, glanced down at the tiny village sprawled out before him. Weeks ago, Yumeko entered this village, only to disappear without a trace. And somewhere in this village was the demon sword Tetsusaiga, a sword that would soon be his. At this thought, Yugata smirked. Yumeko's loss was her brother's gain. Yugata pulled out a small blue bag from inside his shirt, withdrawing the tiny crystal it held. Gently fingering the Shikon shard, Yugata, without a moment's hesitation, stuck the glowing shard into his chest. The dream demon shivered with pleasure as he felt the wild power rush through his body. 

__

'Soon, Tetsusaiga, you will be mine as well,' Yugata thought, a cold smile plastered on his face,_ 'And none shall rival my power!'_

Author-chan's notes: ARG!!!! Short chapter!!! The next one will be longer, hopefully. Things are moving along nicely (about time too!). Anyway, next chapter should have Yugata's entrance into the village, his first attack, and Yumeko peaking into Shiro/Inuyasha's mind, but please don't kill me if the next chapter doesn't have all of this stuff. 

Hope to see ya soon! 


	20. Yugata

Author-chan's notes: Hey everyone!!! I'm back with Chapter 20! Gosh, but this fic is getting long. I wonder how many more chapters I need to get to the end? Is anyone willing to make bets? Well, enjoy the new chapter!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Twenty: Yugata)

Back with Aki

__

'Baka, baka, baka, baka, baka!!!!' Aki snarled in his mind as he ran to where he last left Shiro and Masato, _'How can I be such a baka?!'_

The magician made a sharp turn to the right, then quickly stopped, finally reaching his destination. Time seemed to freeze as Aki's numb mind tried to compute the carnage splayed out before him. Aki's eyes had fully taken in Masato's body crumpled in a heap, the shattered tree behind him, and Shiro's open wounds. But his mind still could not understand it. It was as if he was grasping water.

"SHIRO!!!" Aki yelled, collapsing next to the child's still and unconscious form. 

"A-Aki?" a voice moaned. It was not Shiro.

"M-Masato-san?" Aki managed to choke out, glancing at the other man. Aki's mind was in such a daze he didn't realize that Masato had finally called him by his real name instead of the usual "freak".

"How's the brat?" Masato asked, his voice thick and hazy. It was obvious he had not fully recovered from Sesshoumaru's attack. Aki, coming out of his daze a little bit, checked Shiro's pulse. Silence filled the clearing.

"Well?" Masato questioned, when the magician didn't answer.

"Nothing," Aki murmured, his voice devoid of all emotion, "He's gone."

"What do you mean, '_gone_'?!" Masato yelled, finally coming completely to his senses.

"He's dead, and it's all my fault," Aki replied, his voice dead and hollow sounding.

***

Back with Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and Rin

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken began timidly. The youkai lord looked down on his henchman, his expression emotionless. 

"What is it, Jaken?" Sesshoumaru said in an almost bored tone.

"Do you think it wise to leave those humans alone, Sesshoumaru-sama? Not that I am questioning your orders…" Jaken replied. It wasn't long after Shiro/Inuyasha fainted that Sesshoumaru had gathered up his two followers and left the scene without doing a thing.

"Heh. They are of no importance to me. Whether they live or die is up to them," Sesshoumaru said.

"B-but what about Inuyasha?" Jaken asked.

"There is a time and place to deal with him," Sesshoumaru answered calmly, "Now is not the time."

"But Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken protested. Sesshoumaru looked down on the toad-like youkai coldly.

"Are you questioning me, Jaken?" the white-haired youkai asked.

"N-No, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken sputtered, shutting up quickly.

"Good," Sesshoumaru replied, "Come, Rin."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" the little human girl said obediently. And so the small party moved on, without knowing the events that occurred at the clearing after they left.

***

Back in Aki's hut with Yumeko

**__**

*Crack! * The small tea cup next to Yumeko suddenly broke, a thin break coursing down the side of the piece of pottery, while a tiny chink of it fell to the floor. 

"Something is wrong," Yumeko murmured. A cup suddenly breaking out of nowhere was a bad omen. And as a dream demon, Yumeko knew a lot about bad omens.

"Quite right, imoto-sama," a voice from the doorway said silkily. Yumeko whirled around, her eyes widening.

"Onii-sama," Yumeko whispered, horror coloring her voice. From the doorway, Yugata, her older brother, smirked ruthlessly.

"Yumeko," Yugata said, still smirking, "Still alive I see."

"What are you doing here?" Yumeko hissed.

"Completing the mission you so obviously failed," Yugata replied.

"I have failed nothing!" Yumeko snarled, her anger twisting her pretty face.

"Oh?" Yugata raised an eyebrow, "Watch that temper of yours, little sister. It might get you in trouble one day. And as for you not failing anything, Miyuki-sama has reason enough to believe that you have done just that. In her eyes, you have failed. We thought you were dead."

"Well, as you can see, I am not dead!" Yumeko cried, getting to her feet angrily. Yugata's smirk grew larger.

"Well, then let us remedy that problem," the male dream demon said coolly. Then with surprising swiftness, he grabbed her by her neck, and lifted her off the ground.

"W-what…" Yumeko choked, grabbing her brother's arm in an attempt to stop him from strangling her. 

"I hope you find the accommodations in hell to your liking, imoto-sama," Yugata said in an almost cheerful manner.

"Y-you!" Yumeko hissed, as the world started to melt before her eyes.

"Die!" Yugata demanded.

"Don't even try it," a voice behind Yugata hissed. 

"AHHHHH!" Yugata yelled, dropping Yumeko to the floor. The woman quickly gulped down large portions of air. Meanwhile, Yugata whirled around to face his attacker.

"H-how?!" Yumeko gasped, as she looked at Yugata's back. It had been burned badly, as if he had lay down on a bed of coals. But she hadn't seen a thing attack her brother. And even now, Yugata's form blocked Yumeko's vision of her savior.

"Who are you?" Yugata hissed at his attacker.

"I should ask you that question," the stranger growled, "Who are you, and what are you doing in my home?" Yugata growled, unable to come up with a proper answer.

"Teme," Yugata snarled angrily, "This isn't over!" And with that, Yugata disappeared like a dream.

Yumeko looked up at the owner of the mysterious voice. The dream youkai's eyes widened when the landed on a familiar face.

"Aki?" Yumeko gasped, quickly picking herself up from the ground, "Where's Shiro?"

"Calm down, girl," Masato growled, as he walked into the hut holding Shiro's body.

"What happened to Shiro?" Yumeko asked, rushing over to Masato, "And why aren't you tied up?"

"The brat's fine," Masato said, choosing not to reply to Yumeko's second question, "His heart stopped or something while we were in the forest, but it started up again. The creepy freak over there bandaged up the brat's wounds. It's only a matter of time before the brat gets better."

"He has an amazing will to live," Yumeko murmured, pushing aside a stray lock of hair that was obscuring Shiro's face, a note of pride in her voice, "So why aren't you tied up again?"

"I escaped!" the young man snapped. Yumeko rolled her eyes.

"Is that so?"

"Are you calling me a liar, girl?" Masato hissed.

"I'm just saying what you are saying is impossible!" Yumeko shot back.

"Why you!" Masato growled, starting to look murderous. 

"Masato, stop being a fool, and shut up," Aki said in a monotone voice, "You just recently nearly got strangled by a youkai and were smashed into a tree by another. Do not try your luck at trying to defeat a third. You will only get crushed again."

"Hold up, this girl is a youkai?!" Masato cried, backing away from Yumeko, fear in his eyes. 

"That's right, human," Yumeko smirked, "I'm a dream demon, and if you don't behave, I'm going to give you nightmares for the rest of your pathetic life!" Masato made his infamous little "eep".

"Why do I always get stuck with psycho demons trying to kill me?" Masato wailed.

"Because you are an unlucky person doomed to be miserable for all eternity," Aki answered calmly. Masato shot a small glare at the magician. 

"Thanks for the support, creepy freak!" Masato yelled. Aki glanced at Masato coldly, his eyes golden. Masato "eep"ed again.

"Do not try to irritate me, Masato-san," Aki said, his voice a cold and biting icicle, "If you do, I cannot grantee your safety." 

"Do you want to get tied up and put in a deep dark hole right now?" Yumeko asked Masato in a conversational tone.

"Anything to get away from the creepy freak," Masato squeaked, nodding vigorously. Yumeko smirked, a mad light coming into her green eyes. Masato gulped. Maybe agreeing with her wasn't such a good idea after all…

***

Inside Shiro/Inuyasha's mind/dreamscape

Shiro was floating in the pitch darkness of the dreamscape. Unlike the other times he had gone here, the giant God-tree was nowhere in sight -just never ending darkness. And he was alone. His hanyou self, Inuyasha, was gone as well.

"Hello?" Shiro called out, "Inuyasha? Are you out here?" Shiro began to feel uneasy when only silence answered him.

"INUYASHA!!!" Shiro yelled at the top of his lungs, "I know you're here! Answer me!" There was utter silence, then suddenly…

"Afraid of being alone, Ningen?" a voice asked coldly behind him. Shiro whirled around to glare at the only other person that could be in his mind.

"Inuya-" Shiro suddenly cut himself off, when he finally got a good look at his other self. The being in front of him chuckled when he saw Shiro's shocked face. That laugh didn't sound too friendly -or sane for that matter.

"Surprised, Ningen? Or should I call you 'Shiro'?" Shiro's companion asked. 

"W-who are you?" Shiro whispered, fear starting to creep into his body.

"Who do you think?"

"You're not Inuyasha," Shiro spat out, glaring at the intruder in his mind. His "guest" laughed again madly.

"I'm as much Inuyasha as you are, _Shiro_," the unknown being said, sneering out the child's name.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shiro asked. The other person smirked at him.

"Think, Ningen," the other demanded. Shiro took a deep breath, and began observing the creature before him more closely. Shiro was unable to make out any distinctive facial features because the darkness of the dreamscape seemed to cling to the being before him. However, Shiro was able to notice that the stranger had a sword sticking out of his chest. As Shiro observed the sword more closely, he began to recognize it. It was his sword, Tetsusaiga. Stemming from Tetsusaiga were strips of shadow that acted as rope to tie up the creature. Shiro knew without being told that if those black ropes hadn't tied up the creature before him, the creature would have killed him in a heartbeat.

"What is Tetsusaiga doing in your chest?" Shiro asked, "And why aren't you dead? Being stabbed by a sword should have killed you. And doesn't that hurt?"

"Aren't you the clever one," the stranger sneered. Shiro glared at the shadow cloaked figure.

"Do you want to fight, baka?!" Shiro asked, his face becoming slightly flushed with anger.

"Sure, if you take this sword out of me," the other person taunted. Shiro growled, and began to reach for the sword.

"Don't be a baka!" another voice behind Shiro yelled, "There's a reason why that sword is there!" Shiro turned around, and sighed in relief, recognizing the new person.

"Inuyasha!" Shiro exclaimed, glad that his other self was there.

"Hanyou," the shadowy figure greeted, a slight maniacal smirk forming on his lips. Inuyasha glared at the intruder.

"What are you doing here, teme?" Inuyasha growled at the figure. The stranger laughed madly.

"I have every right to be here, Hanyou, and you know it," the intruder replied, "This is my mind as well." Then before Shiro's eyes the shadows that had been covering the stranger moved away, finally revealing his face.

"What the hell?!" Shiro yelped, stepping back from the stranger, his eyes wide. The figure smirked at the child, his insane red eyes glinting.

"Surprised, Ningen?" the youkai before him asked, "I see the hanyou over there forgot to tell you about me, your youkai self…"

***

Back in the real world with Aki, Masato, and Yumeko

"Do you think Shiro will be alright?" Aki asked Yumeko, "He's been getting beat up pretty badly lately."

"The brat will be fine," Masato butted in, "He's too stubborn and bratty to die."

"Who told _you_ that you can speak, human?" Yumeko asked, her green eyes flashing at Masato. Masato paled at her expression. Today was definitely not his day.

"I-I-I," Masato sputtered, looking ready to faint. Yumeko smirked triumphantly.

"I thought so," the dream youkai sniffed, "Now be a good little slave and be quiet, or else…" Masato closed his mouth quickly. Yumeko sighed in relief. Sometimes that moron could get _so_ annoying. Why couldn't he say anything without insulting the subject he was talking about?

"I think now would be a good time to start looking into Shiro's mind," Yumeko said suddenly. Aki looked at her, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"You can't be serious!" Aki yelled, "Why now?"

"Why not now?" Yumeko asked calmly.

"B-but what about your brother, Yugata? It's possible that he might come back to kill you!" Aki pointed out. Yumeko shook her head.

"Don't be silly, Aki," Yumeko said, "It's against dream demon etiquette to attack an enemy twice in one day. Yugata-onii-sama won't attack us until tomorrow at least."

"I suppose," Aki said thoughtfully, "But what about Shiro? Do you think he'll be able to handle you in his mind while in his condition?"

"Shiro-chan will be fine," Yumeko said confidently, "Besides we might not have any other choice. With Yugata attacking us, we have no idea when we'll have free time to look into Shiro's mind. Besides, it's possible the Dream Clan will send someone else after us, and that will double the trouble. And I just have a feeling this is the best time to do this."

"What ever you say, Yumeko-san," Aki sighed. Yumeko smiled at the magician.

"Everything will be fine, Aki-san," Yumeko assured him, "It might even work out for the best."

"Alright, just come back safely, Yumeko-san," Aki told her. Masato looked back and forth between the two.

"Aw, just hurry up and do it already!" Masato yelled suddenly, "The timing is perfect, freak! Hurry up and kiss the woman!" Both magician and youkai turned beat red. Suddenly they whirled around to face Masato, their eyes flashing. Masato "eep"ed.

Yep, today was not Masato's day.

Author-chan's notes: And so ends the 20th chapter! And what a short chapter it is too! Oh well, better than nothing, I guess. And Youkai Inuyasha makes his first bold appearance. I think I made Youkai Inuyasha a bit OOC, but then again, we really haven't heard Youkai Inuyasha say much, so it's hard trying to write dialog for him. But I noticed Youkai Inuyasha laughs a lot. Youkai Inuyasha has a scary laugh. Sesshoumaru has a scary laugh. Both Youkai Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru have scary smiles. (Anou, I know Sesshoumaru only smiles/laughs once or twice, but still…) And I noticed the both of them only laugh/smile when they're about to kill something or plot to kill something. Creepy… One can see those two are related…-_-;

Anyway, I want to thank all the people that have been reviewing this fic. It really makes me feel great reading your reviews. Speaking of reviews, one reviewer asked what would happen to Shiro once Inuyasha comes back. I mean, when you really think about it, Shiro has almost become a separate entity from Inuyasha. So the question is a very interesting one. I would tell what would happen to Shiro now, but what fun is that? I might tell at the end of the fic. 


	21. Some Things Best Left Unknown

Author-chan's notes: Hey everyone! Things are finally moving along. The various pieces of the story are going to clash and come together, things are going to be discovered, and we'll finally get somewhere! Yay! Everyone, please enjoy chapter 21!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Twenty-one: Some Things Best Left Unknown…)

Back with Miho and Kumo (AN: been awhile since we saw them last, ne?)

Miho sighed. She and Kumo had been walking through the woods ever since they had left the village, pausing only briefly, and after all that time, Miho was starting to feel tired and dirty. Kumo glanced at her, hearing her sigh.

"Do you want to stop for a little bit, Miho-san?" Kumo asked, worry in his red eyes. Miho nodded. Kumo gave her a small smile, and sat down on a fallen tree trunk.

"When I passed by this place last, I noticed that there was a hot spring just over there, a little bit beyond those trees," Kumo told her, "If you like, you can wash up, and I'll start preparing a meal. We'll camp here." 

"Don't you want to walk a bit further?" Miho asked, surprised, "We can walk during the night for a little bit."

"Nah," Kumo answered, "It'll be dark in a couple of hours, and I don't want to be wandering about in the dark."

"But I thought youkai had incredible night vision," Miho said, her brow furrowed together. 

"Not this youkai!" Kumo said with a laugh. Miho smiled and began walking towards the direction of the hot spring.

"I'll be back soon, Kumo-san!" Miho called over her shoulder as she disappeared from view.

***

Back with Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo

"Let's stop here for now," Miroku announced as the group reached a small clearing the woods. Sango sighed, and put down the Hiraikotsu. Kagome stretched a bit.

"Hey, Kagome-chan," Sango said, drawing the other girl's attention, "If I remember correctly, there's a hot spring nearby. Do you want to clean up before going to bed?"

"Sure, why not?" Kagome said with a smile. Shippo jumped up on her shoulder.

"Can I come too?" Shippo asked cheerfully.

"Of course, Shippo-chan," Kagome said kindly.

"And might I be able to accompany you as well?" Miroku asked hopefully. Sango glared at the lecherous houshi. 

"NO!" Sango yelled, emphasizing her answer with a hard smack. Miroku sighed wistfully and stroked his red cheek.

"Maybe next time then, Sango?" Miroku suggested, as he skillfully rubbed her backside.

The monk was answered with the Hiraikotsu crashing down on his skull.

***

Back with Yumeko, Aki, Masato, Kimiko, and the unconscious Shiro/Inuyasha

"Are you sure about this, Yumeko-san?" Aki asked the dream demon for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Yumeko sighed and nodded. 

"Damn, freak," Masato muttered, running his hands through his hair, "If you love her so much, why don't you just marry her?"

"Didn't we tell you to keep quiet, Masato-san?" Aki asked, his face flaming with embarrassment at Masato's words, "And stop calling me a freak."

"Make me, FREAK!" Masato said childishly. Kimiko glared at the older boy.

"Stop making fun of my Onii-san," Kimiko said, sticking up for her brother.

"Shut up, girly," Masato growled, knowing full well that Kimiko had no magical powers or demonic abilities to harass him with. 

"Masato," Aki hissed, "Lay off Kimi-chan."

"Whatever," Masato muttered, turning away.

"Alright, I'm ready to go," Yumeko announced.

"Be careful," Aki advised.

"You should be telling that to Masato-san, after all he's coming with me!" Yumeko said with a small laugh. 

"NANI?!" both men yelped, their eyes wide.

"Why should I come? Why not the freak?" Masato asked.

"He'll only get in your way, Yumeko-san!" Aki pointed out.

"Listen," Yumeko said seriously, "Going into another person's mind can be dangerous. There is the possibility that Shiro has built up mental barriers. Mental barriers can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be simple barriers that just block out intruders or they can come with nasty surprises that can maim, if not kill, and invader."

"K-kill?" Masato sputtered.

"You still haven't explained why you want Masato-san with you, Yumeko-san," Kimiko pointed out. Yumeko smiled at the young girl.

"I want him to watch my back," Yumeko replied simply, "I can't take Aki because we have no idea what kind of affect his magic might have on Shiro's mind, and I can't take you, because you're too young. So Masato will have to do."

"Hold up, don't I have a say in the matter?" Masato asked.

"Of course you do," Yumeko said pleasantly, "But that does not necessarily mean that your comments will be listened to." Masato swore.

"Look, Masato-san," Aki said, looking strait into the other man's eyes, "There is something going on with Shiro. Over the past week there have been a couple of incidences where a bunch of mysterious people came out of nowhere, and tried to kill Shiro. I want to know why. But Shiro can't tell us because he doesn't remember anything. A child Shiro's age should not have bloodthirsty killers after him."

"No he shouldn't," Yumeko agreed softly, "However, I might know why some of them are after Shiro."

"What? How?!" Aki and Masato yelped together. Yumeko looked down.

"Because when I first came here, I was after Shiro's head as well," Yumeko answered. The other's looked in her in shock.

"W-why?" Aki asked, horror making his voice break. Yumeko did not dare look in his eyes.

"It was the order of my mother, the matriarch of the dream youkai, Miyuki," Yumeko answered, "That is also why my brother, Yugata, is here."

"Why would she want to kill Shiro?" Kimiko asked.

"Do you see the sword that Shiro always carries?" Yumeko asked, gesturing to the child's limp form.

"Yeah, what about it?" Masato replied, while the other's nodded.

"It doesn't look like much," Yumeko began, "But it is a demonic blade of infinite power. That sword can kill a hundred youkai in one stroke."

"Impressive," Masato whistled, "Is that why your mother wanted to kill the pipsqueak? To get the sword?" Yumeko nodded.

"The sword is called Tetsusaiga," she continued, "It was forged from the fang of the former youkai lord of the Western Lands."

"'Lord of the Western Lands'?" Aki repeated slowly, "That phrase sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?" As the magician thought, an image of a cold, white-haired youkai appeared in his mind's eye.

__

"You are a very foolish human to attack Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands," the handsome youkai said calmly, "Your idiocy has cost you your life."

"HIM!!!" Aki exclaimed suddenly, his eyes wide.

"What?!" the others asked, surprised by his outburst.

"That youkai, the white-haired that attacked us all in the woods," Aki said, "He called himself Sesshoumaru, the Lord of the Western Lands."

"Sesshoumaru?" Yumeko questioned, "I've heard of him. He's the son of the previous Western Lord. They say he and his father didn't get along. That's probably because not only did his father not give him Tetsusaiga as his inheritance, but the father also mated with a human woman. Last I heard the old lord had a hanyou son with the human woman, named Inuyasha. Needless to say, Sesshoumaru was not happy about that. He hates humans."

"Inuyasha?" Aki questioned, "That's the name of that hanyou Kumo is after!"

"You know something else," Masato muttered, looking thoughtful, "That bushy-tailed youkai kept on talking to Shiro. I couldn't hear what they were saying properly, but it looked like they knew each other. But isn't he supposed to hate humans?"

"Sesshoumaru absolutely abhors humans," Yumeko clarified, "But still, it's not a surprise that Shiro and Sesshoumaru would know each other. They had to have met before. Shiro is carrying a sword made out of Sesshoumaru's father's fang, after all."

"Why would Shiro have a demon sword?" Kimiko asked, "Isn't it that demon swords can only be used by someone with youkai blood? A sword like that would be useless to Shiro."

"Who knows?" Yumeko shrugged, "That's why I want to go into his mind. Besides, there are has to be more reasons that just having Tetsusaiga that would make people come after Shiro."

"_HELLO_?!" Masato said sarcastically, "Demonic sword that can kill hundreds with a single swing? If _I _were a youkai, I would go after the brat just for that."

"What about Kikyo?" Kimiko pointed out, "She was a miko, not a youkai. A demon sword would be worthless to her. Yumeko-san is right, there's something else about Shiro that is causing him to be in danger."

"So we still need to look into Shiro's mind then," Aki said with a sigh, "I suppose there's no getting around it then."

"Yes, so we better start now," Yumeko said.

"Hold on," Masato said, his face strangely serious and thoughtful, "Why should we trust you, youkai girl? You just admitted that you were after the brat's sword and life. How do we know you don't still want those things? Why should we trust you?"

"I may still want Tetsusaiga, but I don't want to see Shiro's head on a silver platter," Yumeko said hotly.

"That doesn't mean you don't want to see him dead," Masato replied icily, "You could be helping that guy, Yugata. For all we know, you'll go in the brat's head, and destroy him from the inside out, maybe eat his soul. That's what youkai do, right?"

***

Back with the two shadowy figures

"Chikuso!" Figure #1 swore, as it watched the scene unfolding before it and its companion.

"When did Masato-san get so smart?" Figure #2 wondered out loud.

"And how did he get so suspicious all of a sudden?" Figure #1 added. Figure #2 growled as realization hit it like a ton of bricks.

"Someone is meddling with our affairs!" Figure #2 exclaimed.

"NANI?!" Figure #1 yelped, "Who or what can do that? Who would want to?"

"I think I know," Figure #2 growled, its eyes narrowing, "It has to be another one of our kind, another personification of Fate."

"Kuso!" Figure #1 swore, "Do you know which one?"

"Iie," Figure #2 answered, "But whoever they are, they are being complete idiots messing with something this dangerous."

***

Back inside Shiro/Inuyasha's dreamscape

"My what?!" Shiro growled at the youkai before him. The youkai that sat before Shiro had finally revealed his face to the child. Like Shiro and Inuyasha, the youkai wore a red outfit. He had long white hair like Inuyasha with triangular dog ears perched on the top of his head. Tetsusaiga was impaled in his chest, and the youkai was wrapped up in dark ropes. But when that youkai looked up at Shiro, the child could feel his blood run cold. His eyes were a vivid red with no whites, but they had blue pupils that were shaped like a cat's. It was those eyes underlined by jagged purple stripes on his cheeks that freaked Shiro out. They were hungry for blood, insanely hungry for it. Speaking of blood, this youkai was drenched in it. Blood was splashed in his white hair and his clothing. It was also smeared across his face, and his clawed hands were drenched in the sticky red liquid.

"Your youkai self," Youkai Inuyasha said, answering Shiro's question, "That is what I am."

"Liar!" Shiro growled as he looked up at his hanyou self, "Inuyasha, tell this bastard he's a liar!" Hanyou Inuyasha simply looked away without answering his human side. Shiro's eyes grew wide, and Youkai Inuyasha chuckled darkly.

"T-that can't be true," Shiro hissed, "Can't you feel the evil radiating off this guy? He's a monster, I can feel it. All he wants is to kill and kill, until there is nothing else to kill, and then look for something else to kill. He can't be part of us!"

"How do you think you're able to read his mind, Shiro?" Hanyou Inuyasha asked, "He's part of us, the darkest part, the pure black heart ruling over a damned soul."

"Then why haven't we seen him until now?" Shiro asked.

"I don't know," Hanyou Inuyasha answered, "Normally this side of us is locked deep within our mind. He shouldn't be this close to the surface."

"It's that bracelet," Youkai Inuyasha answered, a smirk gracing his face.

"Huh?" Hanyou Inuyasha blinked. At his side, Shiro's eyes grew wide with understanding.

"The bracelet," Shiro breathed, "Sesshoumaru said that it was tearing our soul apart. That's why our youkai self his so close to the surface of our mind. If the bracelet tears up our soul, he'll be free."

"And you'll be dead, Ningen," Youkai Inuyasha finished, smirking, "You and the hanyou both." Shiro and Hanyou Inuyasha looked at each other, horror coming across them like a crashing wave.

***

Back with Kagome, Sango, and Shippo at the hot spring

"This feels great!" Kagome sighed, as she sank into the warm water. Shippo smiled contently as he floated around on the small plastic inflatable raft that Kagome had brought with her from her time. Sango was busy washing her hair. Suddenly, the group heard a voice.

"Oh! I didn't realize there would be other people here!" the voice exclaimed. The girls turned to look at the speaker. A young woman, about their age, was standing next to the hot spring, looking slightly surprised.

"We didn't think so either," Sango replied laughing, "Care to join us? There's enough room for one more." The girl smiled in gratitude, quickly striped off her kimono, and stepped into the hot spring.

"My name is Miho," the girl said, introducing herself, "Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Kagome," the girl from the future replied, "And this is Sango, and Shippo-chan."

"Nice to meet you," Shippo chirped from his raft. Miho giggled at the cute little kitsune.

"Kawaii!" Miho exclaimed, smiling at Shippo. 

"So what brings you here, Miho-san?" Kagome asked as they all bathed.

"I'm traveling with a friend of mine, Kumo," the girl replied.

"Oh?" Sango asked, "This Kumo, is it a he or a she?"

"He," Miho replied, a slight blush appearing on her face. Sango and Kagome grinned at each other.

"So it's _that_ kind of friend," Kagome said. Miho blushed harder.

"Hai," Miho replied, looking up at Kagome shyly. Suddenly, Miho paused, as she looked harder at Kagome's face.

"You look familiar," Miho said, frowning slightly, "Have we met before?"

"I don't think so," Kagome replied.

"Maybe I met someone you are related to then," Miho suggested. Kagome shook her head.

"None of my family lives around here," Kagome said truthfully. Miho continued to look unconvinced. Suddenly Miho's eyes landed on a bow lying next to a quiver of arrows.

"Wait a second," Miho said, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the weapons, "Are those yours, Kagome-san?"

"Yes," Kagome said, confused, "Why do you ask, Miho-san?"

"You're a miko, aren't you?" Miho whispered, still looking at the bow and arrows in horror.

"Sort of," Kagome answered, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Do you know a miko named Kikyo?" Miho asked, turning serious eyes to Kagome. The girl from the future felt her eyes grow wide.

"How do you know about Kikyo?" Sango asked angrily, her eyes narrowed.

"Kikyo was that witch that tried harming Shiro-chan," Miho answered, "How do you know about her?"

"We are not on the best terms with Kikyo ourselves," Sango replied dryly.

"Wait," Kagome said, "Did you say 'Shiro-chan'?"

"Yes," Miho nodded, "What about it?"

"He wears a red outfit and has rosary beads around his neck, right?" Kagome asked, "And he carries around this old beat up sword too?"

"H-how did you know about that?" Miho sputtered, surprised. Kagome laughed in relief.

"We found him!" Kagome cried happily, "Is he alright? Has he remembered anything yet? Kikyo didn't hurt him too badly, did she? Please say he's alright!"

"Shiro was fine when I last saw him," Miho replied, "But how do you know about Shiro? How do you know that we call him that in the first place? We know Shiro isn't Shiro's real name."

"It's a long story," Kagome said, "But let's just say that Shiro himself told me in a dream. But I'm glad he's safe. If Kikyo had killed him, I don't know what I would have done."

"Shiro-chan is fine," Miho assured the girl from the future, "By the way, what is he too you? Is he your little brother or something?"

"'Little brother'?" Sango and Shippo questioned, confused. Kagome looked back at them.

"Don't you remember what I told you?" Kagome asked, "Inuyasha told me in that dream that some sort of magical bracelet had turned him into a human child and then wiped his memories. Then some people found him and renamed him Shiro."

"Did you say Inuyasha?" Miho asked, her eyes wide. Kagome nodded.

"That's Shiro's real name," Kagome said.

"You see, he isn't a human child," Sango continued.

"He's really an annoying teenaged hanyou who whaps me over the head when I talk to him," Shippo piped up. Miho felt sick. Shiro and Inuyasha, the hanyou that had killed Kumo's brother, were one and the same. She didn't want it to be true, but something in her heart told her it was.

"Is there something wrong, Miho-san?" Kagome asked, concern coloring her voice.

"I'm fine, it's just that--" Miho's reply was cut short as a blood-curling roar echoed nearby. The girls turned, just as a giant bear youkai appeared from out of the forest.

Author-chan's notes: And so ends chapter 21! KUSO!!!!!!! I wanted to get to Yumeko poking around in Shiro/Inuyasha's mind in this chapter, but it didn't turn out that way! KUSO, KUSO, KUSO!!!!!!!! Darn it, it's almost like my mind is conspiring against me. I've wanted to have Yumeko poke around Inuyasha's mind for the longest time, but for some weird reason, I keep putting it off. ERG! But at least everything else is moving along. Shiro is getting to know Youkai Inuyasha (and getting freaked out while doing so), Masato is growing a brain, Miho found out about Shiro's past, and the Shadowy Figures have discovered there's another Shadowy Figure that is messing with their plans. Yep, everything is finally moving.

Well, please R+R!!!!


	22. Are Always Discovered

Author-chan's notes: HEY EVERYONE!!!!!! Author-chan is drunk off coffee, and wants a cookie! And A-chan made a pie! It was made out of yogurt, cream cheese, and brown sugar! LOTS of brown sugar! And don't forget about the chocolate candies with fruits! And then I made cookies, but not just any cookies! A-chan was very smart and made not just chocolate chip cookies, but _double_ chocolate chip cookies! Twice the amount of chocolate than in normal chocolate chip cookies!!! Teheehee!!! ^_^ WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! *runs around the room until off caffeine/sugar high and sane side takes over* Ahem. Okay, now that that's over with, on with the fic!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Twenty-two: …Are Always Discovered)

Back with the shadowy figures

"So someone is meddling with our affairs," Figure #1 muttered to Figure #2, "We need to find out who it is."

"There's no need for that," an unknown voice claimed, "I can tell you who it is." Both shadowy figures turned to who had spoken.

"MITTSU?!" they both exclaimed at the same time, recognizing their guest. Before them was a third shadowy figure, obviously another personification of fate, as they were.

"Ichi, Futatsu," the third figure (also known as Mittsu) greeted, "It's been a lifetime."

"Or two," Figure #2 (also called Futatsu) grumbled.

"Or three," Figure #1 (also called Ichi) added in a mutter, "Though I wish you had stayed away for a bit longer." Mittsu laughed. (AN: I have no imagination with these guys' names. "Ichi" means "one", "Futatsu" means "two", and "Mittsu" means "three". Yes, very creative A-chan. *grumbles to self* Oh well, it's about time these guys got names, no matter how lame they are. It's stupid calling them Figure #1 and #2 all the time.)

"So, darling siblings, do you want to know who is messing with your affairs?" Mittsu asked mischievously. Ichi rolled its eyes.

"I think we already know, Mittsu-san," Futatsu said dryly, "It's you isn't it?"

"Of course!" Mittsu said cheerfully. Ichi and Futatsu sweat dropped.

"Baka bubble-head," Ichi growled under its breath. Futatsu nodded in agreement. 

"Is there something wrong?" Mittsu asked. Ichi and Futatsu rolled their eyes. Mittsu was a complete baka; that's why they hated being with Mittsu.

"Oh nothing," Ichi said, sarcasm dripping off its voice, "It's just that your meddling could cause a blood-thirsty demon to be set lose."

"Hundreds of people will die, the entire land of Japan will be painted red with blood, and it will be all your fault," Futatsu added. Mittsu blinked in confusion.

"Is that a bad thing?" the clueless Mittsu asked.

"YES!!!!" Futatsu and Ichi yelled at their "sibling".

"Oh," Mittsu blinked.

"What are you doing, standing around like a lump?!" Futatsu yelled, "Go in there and fix the mess you made!"

"Well, what do I do?" Mittsu asked. Ichi smacked the third shadow over the head.

"Stop causing Masato to be so suspicious of Yumeko so the dream demon can go into Inuyasha's mind," Ichi told Mittsu as Mittsu rubbed the spot Ichi smacked.

"Why would you want a dream demon to go into Inuyasha-san's mind?" Mittsu asked, its face confused, "You do know that when Yumeko-san goes into Inuyasha's mind her youki doubles in strength."

"Yeah, so?" Futatsu asked.

"Then you want Inuyasha-san's youkai half to feed off Yumeko-san's youki, thus getting stronger than his human half, making it so that his youkai self will take over the body?" Mittsu asked. Both Ichi and Futatsu looked at their sibling, their mouths agape.

"KUSO!!!" they swore. 

"So are you two glad I'm meddling now?" Mittsu asked, a smile plastered over its face.

"Hold up a second," Ichi said, "Even if Inuyasha's youkai half takes over the body, the bracelet will still cause him to be stuck in the body of a little kid."

"No," Mittsu shook its head, "The bracelet can't handle the power of a full youkai. With that much youki in him, Inuyasha can destroy the bracelet without even thinking about it."

"KUSO!!!!" the two other shadows swore, "What are we going to do now?"

"Well, if Masato is able to convince the others that they shouldn't let Yumeko into Inuyasha's mind, then we don't have to do anything," Mittsu pointed out.

"Hello?" Futatsu said, "This is Masato. Although you gave him a brief flash of intelligence, how long do you think that will last? And do you think the others will listen to that bone-head?"

"Oh dear," Mittsu whispered. 

"We are doomed," Ichi wailed, "We might as well just make welcome banners for Youkai Inuyasha now!"

"We can still stop him from taking over the body though, right?" Mittsu asked.

"Not anymore," Futatsu said, "Although Masato is easy to manipulate, the others won't be. They're dead set on looking into Inuyasha's mind. And we can't influence anything down there anymore. We've exhausted our options."

"I'll start making the welcome banner for Youkai Inuyasha," Ichi sighed.

"Oh, can we put glitter and draw flowers on it?!" Mittsu asked excitedly. Futatsu and Ichi buried their faces in their hands. Yep, Mittsu was an idiot.

***

Back with Kagome, Shippo, Sango, Miho, and the demonic bear

"Sango!" Kagome yelled, as she stepped out to the hot spring and grabbed her bow and arrows. The youkai bear before them roared again.

"Stay down, Miho-san!" Shippo advised, as both he and the young woman backed away. Sango jumped out of the water and grabbed the Hiraikotsu. With an expert movement, the demon huntress tossed the heavy weapon at the youkai. To her surprise, the weapon simply passed through the youkai without doing any damage. 

"Nani?!" Sango gasped, as she caught the Hiraikotsu as it flew back towards her.

"It's a ghost!" Kagome said, quickly identifying their foe, "Our weapons won't work against it."

'Then what should we do?" Sango asked.

"Miroku-sama could probably get rid of it with one of his ward papers, but he's not here now," Kagome replied.

"Of all the times he had to decide not to peek at us while we were in the baths," Sango grumbled, "Maybe a purifying arrow would get rid of it."

"Let's see," Kagome murmured, as she strung her bow.

"TAKE THAT!" Kagome yelled, as she let her arrow fly. The bear moved at the last moment, causing the arrow to hit its paw, but the arrow was able to destroy the bear's paw, blasting it away.

"Alright, Kagome-chan!" Shippo yelled as the ghost-bear roared in anger. But his joy was short lived. Suddenly, the bear's eyes glowed, and the paw regenerated itself.

"Sango!" Kagome yelled in warning, as the bear took a swipe at the demon hunter. Luckily, Sango was able to leap away at the last moment. However, the ground that she used to be standing on was reduced to rubble, proving that although they couldn't hurt the bear, the bear could hurt them. 

"This can't be happening!" Miho whispered as Shippo quaked in her arms.

"MIHO!!!" A voice yelled from the woods, "I heard some roaring. What's going on?!"

"Kumo!" Miho cried, as the young spider demon stumbled out of the woods. The sun had set already, and Kumo was suffering from his usual night blindness. He didn't see the bear take a swipe at him.

"Get down, fool!" Shippo yelled in warning. But it was too late. The bear-ghost hit Kumo head on, causing the spider youkai to crash into a tree.

"Kumo!" Miho cried out, worried for him.

"Chikuso!" Kumo snarled, as he picked himself up, wincing as he did so.

"Are you alright?" Miho asked. Kumo growled, and looked around wildly, completely blind to the giant bear only a few meters away from him.

"I hate night blindness," Kumo grumbled, "Miho, where are you? And where's that damn thing that hit me?!"

"H-he can't see anything?" Sango gasped.

"Apparently not," Miho said, sweat dropping, "He told me his night vision was bad, but I didn't think it was _this_ bad."

"Uh, Miho, are there people there with you?" Kumo asked, still trying to see.

"Long story, anata," Miho replied, "But yes, there are some new friends of mine with me."

"And there's also a demonic bear ghost," Shippo put in helpfully.

"So that's what hit me," Kumo muttered, "Damn it, but I hope your new friends can fight, cause I'm useless in the dark."

"We can," Kagome answered him, "But our opponent is a ghost. We can't kill it."

"Kuso!" Kumo swore.

"Where's Miroku when you need him?" Sango growled, as she dodged another swipe from the bear.

***

Back with Miroku

"ACHOO!!!" Miroku sneezed loudly, "Hmm, I wonder if there is anyone talking about me."

"HOUSHI-SAMA!!!!!!!" Sango's voice yelled out. Miroku blinked.

"That sounded like Sango," Miroku murmured to himself, "Perhaps she changed her mind, and wants me to take a bath with her!" Miroku grinned to himself, picked up his staff, and ran towards the hot spring.

"I'M COMING SANGO!!!!!!!!!" Miroku yelled. 

***

Back with Masato, Kimiko, Aki, Yumeko, and the sleeping Inuyasha/Shiro

"Are you accusing me of being a spy?" Yumeko hissed at Masato. She couldn't believe what was happening. That idiotic human was accusing _her_ of wanting to harm Shiro, a member of her surrogate family. How dare he! He will pay…

"Are your ears clogged up with your youkai powers?" Masato asked sarcastically, "Of course I'm accusing you of being a spy, you witch!"

"Silence!" Yumeko yelled. 

"And why should I?" Masato hissed, his eyes narrowed.

"Stop this right now!" Aki yelled, before the two of them ended up fighting.

"Figures you would take her side, freak," Masato grumbled, "After all you love her so much."

"Something is not right here," Aki said, ignoring Masato's statement, "This doesn't feel right." 

"If you have forgotten, there's a demon in here that wants to kill the brat," Masato pointed out. Yumeko sent him a heated glare.

"It's not Yumeko-san that feels wrong, Masato-san," Kimiko said quietly, "It's you." Masato rolled his eyes.

"You're all against me," Masato grumbled.

"We are not," Kimiko told him, "But there is something wrong with your behavior. When did you start caring about Shiro?" Masato paused. When did he start to care about the brat?

"Something is not right here," Aki continued, "Masato is acting way too suspicious and protective over Shiro. That's not like him. It's almost as if--"

"Someone was playing with his mind?" Yumeko suggested, "Influencing other people's thoughts is an ability of dream youkai, but only the oldest and most powerful of my kind can do it. I had no idea Onii-sama had that kind of ability."

"Wait," Masato began, "Are you saying that there might me a youkai in my head, influencing my thoughts and actions?!"

"Yep," the others answered him. Masato looked sick.

"Just try blocking him out, Masato-san," Yumeko suggested, "That kind of spell is hard to do, and even my mother, the matriarch of my clan, cannot influence someone for very long or very strongly. Normally, the spell to influence people's minds are only effective against those who have weak wills."

"So that would explain why the spell was put on Masato and not on the rest of us," Aki said thoughtfully.

"What does that mean?!" Masato asked, a vein popping out from his head. 

"So Yugata is controlling Masato, and it appears he doesn't want us to look into Shiro's memories," Aki murmured half to himself, "So that gives us more reason to look into Shiro's mind."

"DON'T DO IT, FOOL!!!!!!!" Masato's voice shrieked. As soon as Masato heard himself, he clamped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide in shock.

"Wow, he really is being controlled," Kimiko murmured. 

"Why do evil demons always come after me?!" Masato wailed, "Why can't they take over someone else for a change?!"

"So, Yumeko-san," Kimiko said, "I guess this means you should start looking into Shiro's mind now, ne?"

"No," Yumeko said suddenly.

"Eh?" the others blinked.

"If Yugata is controlling Masato, then it is possible that once we're in Shiro's mind, Yugata will try to attack me through Masato," Yumeko began.

"Then why don't you leave Masato here?" Aki asked.

"Too dangerous," Yumeko explained, "If I can, I would like to have someone watch my back when I go into another person's mind. It's safer that way."

"So does that mean that you won't go into the brat's mind?" Masato said, a hopeful tone in his voice.

"No," Yumeko replied, "I'll go into Shiro's mind tomorrow. Like I said earlier, influencing a person's will take a lot of time and energy. Yugata won't be able to keep controlling Masato forever. By tomorrow, the spell should have worn off, so it will be fine to look into Shiro's mind then."

"That'll work," Aki nodded.

"Does that mean I won't have crazy demons in my head?" Masato said hopefully. Yumeko nodded. Masato grinned a whooped for joy.

***

Back with the shadowy figures (Ichi, Futatsu, and Mittsu)

"Damn," Ichi said as it and its siblings saw what happened in Aki's hut.

"Double damn," Futatsu added with a sigh.

"Triple, triple damn!" Mittsu said cheerfully with a goofy grin.

"Baka bubble-head," Ichi muttered, looking at Mittsu.

"Well, we tried our best through Masato," Futatsu sighed, "We even combined our powers to influence him, but still no luck."

"Well, they decided to wait until tomorrow, so that has to be a good thing," Mittsu said optimistically.

"That's just delaying the inevitable," Ichi said grumpily.

"Still…" Mittsu said hopefully.

"Baka, baka bubble-head!" Futatsu wailed.

***

Back with Kagome, Miho, Sango, Shippo, Kumo, and the bear youkai/ghost

"HOUSHI-SAMA!!!" Sango yelled again, as she dodged another swipe from the bear.

"It's no use, Sango!" Shippo wailed, "Miroku can't hear us! We're dead!"

"Not yet, we're not!" Kagome yelled, as she fired another holy arrow at the ghost. Although Kagome hit her target, the bear simply regenerated itself again.

"Kuso!" Kumo swore, "If I could see I could--"

"Do nothing," Miho finished, "This bear is a ghost, remember? None of your attacks will do anything."

"Chikuso," Kumo swore again.

"SANGO!!!" a voice from the trees yelled. Everyone turned his or her head to the voice.

"I don't believe it," Sango whispered, "That hentai actually came."

"Sango, I'm so glad you changed your mind about taking a bath with me!" Miroku cried, as he burst out from the woods, smiling lecherously. Sango and Kagome sweat dropped. Shippo rubbed his temples.

"Ahou ga," the kitsune muttered.

"Houshi-sama!" Sango growled, "Stop fooling around, and exorcise this bear will you?!" Miroku smiled at her.

"Anything for the lovely Sango," Miroku said, still grinning his lecherous grin.

"Is he really a monk?" Miho whispered to Shippo who was sweat dropping.

"Yep," Shippo sighed, "I don't know how though. Maybe it was a divine miracle, or a demon's curse." 

"Ah," Miho said, nodding. That made sense. Meanwhile, Miroku had whipped out a ward paper and was chanting a spell.

"HIYA!" Miroku cried out, throwing the ward paper at the demonic bear ghost. The youkai ghost gave off one last mighty roar, then disappeared into nothingness. Miho looked on in awe.

"Sugoi," she whispered in awe, "It disappeared!"

"Rest in peace," Miroku said calmly to the vanished bear, looking like the perfect Buddhist monk. Meanwhile, Miho looked towards her companion.

"Kumo!" Miho cried out, running towards the spider youkai, "Are you alright? That bear hit you hard back there."

"Miho?" Kumo murmured, reaching out to her instinctively, "I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine," Miho said with a laugh, stepping into his embrace. The pair of them stood like that for some time, neither one of them saying anything.

"Sango!" Miroku suddenly cried, breaking the silence, "Us too! Leap into my arms!" The monk opened his arms wide, grinning like an idiot.

"HENTAI!" Sango yelled, smashing the Hiraikotsu into his skull, "I'm not dressed!" Kagome blushed, realizing what Sango said. The youkai bear had appeared out of nowhere, and when she and Sango had gone to fight it, they didn't have any time to pull on any clothes. Miho also didn't take the time to put on her kimono.

"MIROKU!!!" Kagome shrieked, "Turn around so Sango and I can put on some clothes!"

"But what about that other man?" Miroku asked, "He's the one standing there holding a naked woman in his arms."

"N-naked?" Kumo sputtered, blushing furiously. He quickly ran his hands across Miho's body. He didn't touch a shred of cloth. Miho also turned very red. She had forgotten about her state of dress.

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Miho screeched, jumping away and grabbing her kimono. Kumo became an incarnation of a tomato, as he spun away, spouting out apologies.

"Miroku!!! TURN AROUND!!!" Kagome and Sango shrieked at the monk.

"Anou, Sango," Miroku began. His statement was left unfinished as Sango whacked him over the head with the Hiraikotsu, successfully knocking him out.

"Ahou ga," Shippo sighed as the girls hurriedly pulled on their clothing.

Author-chan's notes: Hey everyone! Aren't you glad I was able to update faster than last time? Heehee! ^_^ A-chan is very proud of herself. I'm also proud of my new Inuyasha wall-scroll, my Rurouni Kenshin poster, and my Vash plushy!!! *hugs Vash plushy* KAWAII!!! ^_^ *sane side takes over for a brief while* Hmm, it seems my insane persona had been eating cookies again. Be afraid. Be very afraid. *insane side takes back control* YES, YES, YES!!! Must have more cookies!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! *sane side makes an appearance again* Ahem. Next chapter should be more serious, I'm just on an insane sugar high right now. 

Please R+R!!!


	23. To Enter the Darkness

Author-chan's notes: KONNICHI WA, MINNA-SAN!!!! I'm up with chapter 23!!! ^_^ 

Oh, and much thanks to **Lupus **and **Des** for pointing out that I mixed up the number systems when I named Ichi, Futatsu, and Mittsu. Apparently "Ichi" belongs to a different numbering system than "Futatsu" and "Mittsu". *blushes* Yare, yare, I can't go back and change it anymore, so Ichi is going to have to stay Ichi despite the fact it would have made more sense to call Ichi "Hitotsu" according to **Lupus**. Thanks again you two for pointing out my mistake! I hope this doesn't bother anyone too much. *grumbles under breath* See, this is the problem with picking names from a Japanese _pocket_-dictionary. 

Well, enjoy chapter 23!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Twenty-three: To Enter the Darkness)

Back with Miho, Kumo, Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku

It had been half an hour since their encounter with the demonic ghost bear, and the two groups had decided to camp together rather than go their separate ways. Kagome had pulled out a couple of cups of instant ramen and several bags of chips for everyone to munch on. Kumo and Miho were still very red from their little "incident" at the hot spring though everyone could tell neither one of them really minded what happened. They were more embarrassed that everyone saw. Shippo had gotten a fire started using his fox magic, and Sango was polishing her weapons. Miroku was lying to one side, unmoving.

"Hentai," Sango grumbled, glaring at Miroku. The monk was sporting several round lumps from his encounter with the Hiraikotsu at the hot spring as well as a more recent bright red handprint on his cheek. Apparently the monk decided to feel Sango up again and had received a loud sounding smack in return. Miroku laughed apologetically to the demon huntress.

"You have some odd friends, koishii," Kumo whispered to Miho.

"Are they any odder than anyone else we know?" Miho asked.

"True," the spider youkai sighed. 

"Kagome-san?" Miho said loudly, catching the attention of the miko from the future. 

"Hai?" Kagome blinked. 

"You said you were heading towards my village, correct?" Miho asked, as Kagome nodded, "Would you like it if Kumo and I would guide you there? It would be easier for you than stumbling through the dark."

"That's perfect!" Kagome cried happily, "Thank you for everything Miho-san!"

"That's good!" Shippo chirped, "Soon we'll have Inuy—"

"That's right, you'll be able to see _Shiro_-chan again," Miho interrupted, clamping a hand over the fox kit's mouth. 

"Shiro?" Kumo blinked, "What about him?"

"These people seem to have known Shiro before he lost his memory," Miho explained quickly, still holding Shippo's mouth closed, "We should take them to the village."

"What about hunting down In—" Kumo began before Miho slapped her other hand over his mouth.

"We can do that later, anata," Miho hissed nervously, "In the meantime, there are some questions I want to ask Shiro-chan."

"Miho-san?" Sango blinked, "Are you alright?"

"Peachy!" Miho chirped with false gusto. 

"Then why are you holding Shippo-chan's and Kumo-san's mouths shut?" Kagome asked, just as confused as Sango.

"It's nothing!" Miho said, a little bit too quickly, letting go of the two demons' mouths.

"If you say so, Miho-san," Kagome sighed, "Let's go to sleep. We have a long walk tomorrow." The others nodded in agreement.

"Anou, Miho-san?" Miroku began, before they all lay down, "May I ask you something important?"

"Of course, houshi-sama," Miho answered, smiling kindly. Miroku took her hand in his, and looked soulfully into her eyes. 

"Will you please bear my child?" Miroku asked, using his favorite pick-up line. 

"NANI?!!!" Kumo snarled, looking murderous.

"He did it again," Shippo sighed, clamping a hand to his face.

"HOUSHI-SAMA!!!" Sango yelled, looking even more dangerous than Kumo.

"Hai, Sango?" Miroku asked innocently. Sango growled, and smashed the Hiraikotsu over Miroku's head, knocking him out.

"Go to sleep, you hentai," she spat, anger radiating from her body. 

"Never mess with Sango," Shippo commented. The others nodded in agreement, wisely keeping out of Hiraikotsu hitting range.

***

Back at Aki's hut

Yumeko sighed as she rolled over in her futon. She and the others had decided to call it a day and everyone was asleep. Except her of course. As the dream youkai lay on her side looking at the simple unadorned walls of Aki's hut, she couldn't help but worry. She hadn't mentioned it to any of the others, but Shiro had begun to emit a slight demonic aura a few hours ago. She knew Masato and Kimiko would be oblivious to it, but she wondered if Aki had noticed. If he had noticed then he wasn't talking. Yumeko shivered despite herself. Although the youkai aura was only faint –barely noticeable in fact –it still unnerved her. It felt as if it was struggling against something –a restraint of some kind. The small dark aura brushed against her skin, as gentle as a caress but as harsh as claws ripping apart her body. Rolling over, Yumeko faced Shiro's prone body. The child remained motionless as he had for the last couple of hours. Yumeko wondered briefly if Yugata was trying to control Shiro as he had tried to control Masato. That idea was quickly pushed aside as the dream youkai remembered Shiro's stubborn nature. A strong-willed mind like that won't be easy to control! 

"Who the hell are you, Shiro-chan?" Yumeko whispered quietly.

"So you're awake as well, Yumeko-san," another voice in the shadowed room whispered gently. Yumeko looked over Shiro's unmoving body to Aki, who was lying on the other side of the child. Masato was sprawled out on the floor in a distant corner, while Yumeko was curled up next to the wall behind Aki. Both were asleep. Yumeko smiled tiredly at the only awake soul in the hut.

"Hai, Aki-san," Yumeko murmured, keeping her voice low so that the others would not be disturbed. 

"Did you feel it as well, Yumeko-san?" Aki asked, the golden sparks in his dark eyes glowing faintly in the dark. Yumeko was impressed. Even when he wasn't using his magic, Aki could be so captivating with those eyes of his. It was almost as if those shifting orbs pinned your soul down and looked into your deepest secrets.

"Shiro-chan's aura?" Yumeko questioned as Aki nodded, "Hai. I felt it."

"Do you think…" Aki began.

"Iie," Yumeko whispered, cutting Aki off, "I don't think Yugata-onii-san is doing anything to Shiro."

"That wasn't what I was asking," Aki whispered back, "Do you remember when you mentioned it could be possible that Shiro has some youkai blood in him?"

"Yes," Yumeko answered, "But why would his demon aura start manifesting itself now?"

"I have no idea," Aki said quietly, "But if he really is part demon, then he should be able to withstand having your youki in him as well as other demons' youki, right?"

"In theory at least," Yumeko nodded.

"Then Shiro-chan should be able to survive having my magic in him as well, don't you think?" Aki continued.

"That's true," Yumeko murmured, thinking it over, "So would you like to accompany me instead of Masato-san?"

"Hai," Aki nodded, "You said your brother won't attack us until tomorrow because of dream youkai protocol. However, you want to wait for tomorrow so that we can be sure that Masato isn't being controlled. What if Yugata attacks while you're inside Shiro-chan's mind tomorrow? You'll be helpless."

"So what do you suggest?" Yumeko asked, "Go now? Together?"

"That's precisely what I'm suggesting," Aki said calmly.

"Without telling the others?" Yumeko hissed.

"We can leave them a note," Aki replied.

"Are you sure Masato can read?" Yumeko asked.

"No," Aki answered, "But I know Kimi-chan can."

"Are you sure you want to go now?" Yumeko asked, still slightly skeptical.

"Of course."

"Then prepare yourself," Yumeko sighed. She was having an odd feeling about this, and it sickened her. Grabbing Aki's hand and putting her other hand on Shiro's forehead, the dream demon chanted a brief spell. The couple was surrounded by a soft light and then the pair disappeared into Shiro's dreams. 

Whether it was due to darkness, or their own conversation distracting them, neither Yumeko nor Aki noticed the cracks appearing on the silver bracelet Shiro always wore. If they had paid any attention to the trinket they would have seen the cracks were giving off black light. And if Yumeko had seen the dark light, she, being a dream demon well versed in reading bad omens, would have known it was a bad sign. A _very _bad sign…

***

Back inside Shiro/Inuyasha's dreamscape

"Do you fear death, Ningen?" Youkai Inuyasha asked his human counterpart, smirking at the thought of blood.

"Oi!" Hanyou Inuyasha snarled, placing himself defensively in front of Shiro, "Leave the kid out of this!"

"Inuyasha," Shiro began, "I can take care of myself."

"Baka," Hanyou Inuyasha hissed, "I am yourself! I can take care of you. So shut up, and let me protect you!"

"Hanyou," Youkai Inuyasha smirked, "Still trying to protect humans? Keh! Baka. That is not your purpose. Don't you remember Inuyasha? The joy, the intense pleasure, of slaughtering humans? Of having blood covering your claws?"

"SHUT UP!!!" Hanyou Inuyasha yelled, clutching his head in his hands as he fell to his knees. Blood soaked memories were eating at the edges of his mind, and the emotional pain was worse than any sword wound.

"Inuyasha!" Shiro cried out, surprised at seeing his normally confident other-self writhing in pain. 

"Hanyou, do you know why you never remember what happens when I am in control of our body?" Youkai Inuyasha asked, "It's because the ningen over there won't let you!"

"Nani?" Shiro hissed.

"Do you want to remember, Hanyou?" Youkai Inuyasha asked, his voice sounding seductive, "Do you want to remember true joy? You do know that the only time we ever truly smiled was when we were me, when our youkai blood took over our body?"

"I said, SHUT UP!!!" Hanyou Inuyasha snarled at his darker half still wincing in pain. All those suppressed memories were beginning to surface and the pain was causing Inuyasha's soul to tear even more. 

"Keh," Youkai Inuyasha snorted, "Be that way, not that it matters. It's almost over. It's only a little bit longer until this bracelet tears apart our soul." As he said that, the dark memories that were beginning to swirl in Hanyou Inuyasha's mind began to recede. The pain stopped, but Inuyasha's hanyou side was breathing more heavily even in the world of dreams.

"Then you and I will be split into different bodies," Shiro continued on what his youkai self was previously saying, his violet eyes slightly glazed, "And Inuyasha—"

"Will be no more," Youkai Inuyasha finished, insane laughter creeping into his voice, "Then I'll kill you, Ningen. That will be the _best_ murder. I wonder what your blood will taste like?"

"Do you feel that?" Hanyou Inuyasha growled, breaking off his youkai half's gloating. Shiro nodded.

"It's almost like someone else entered our mind," the human side of Inuyasha's soul murmured, looking thoughtful. 

"I'll check it out," Hanyou Inuyasha said, "Shiro, stay here."

"With this psycho?!" Shiro yelped, pointing at Youkai Inuyasha.

"He's part of us, remember?" Hanyou Inuyasha pointed out.

"The psycho part!" Shiro snarled back.

"He's tied up!" Hanyou Inuyasha shot back.

"Still, I don't trust him as far as I can throw him," Shiro huffed, "He wants to kill me!"

"So we have suicidal tendencies," Hanyou Inuyasha shrugged, "Don't worry. He can't kill you as long as we're in the dreamscape."

"You better be right, Inuyasha," Shiro sighed, "And I'm not worried!"

"Keh! Whatever," Hanyou Inuyasha snorted as he left his other two selves to investigate who or what was intruding into his mind.

***

Meanwhile with the shadowy figures (Ichi, Futatsu, and Mittsu)

"We are _so_ screwed!!!" Futatsu wailed, "Youkai Inuyasha is going to come out, and we're all going to die!"

"Don't be stupid," Ichi snapped, "We're spirits, remember? Incarnations of Fate itself? We can't die. At least not easily."

"But what about Japan?!" Futatsu cried, "We've watched over her since she first appeared in the oceans and now, now she going to get all torn up!!!"

"But isn't she already torn up?" Mittsu asked thoughtfully, "I mean with all those human daimyo fighting against each other and stuff, Japan is in really bad shape right now. They don't call it the 'Warring States Period' for nothing."

"Shut up, bubble-head," Futatsu snarled, tears still in its shadowy eyes, "I want to mourn over my pretty island country right now in peace."

"_Your_ _pretty_ island country?!" Ichi and Mittsu raised their eyebrows at their "sibling's" words. Futatsu didn't answer, but did sniffle a bit. 

"By the way," Mittsu began, "The welcome banner for Youkai Inuyasha is all finished."

"Forget the banner," Ichi growled, "We need to figure out a way to stop Youkai Inuyasha from coming out."

"Why don't we just let him come out?" Mittsu asked, "It's going to happen anyway, so we might as well accept it." Both Ichi and Futatsu looked at their "sibling" as if it had gone insane in the brain.

"Dear kami-sama!" Futatsu sputtered, "You really _are_ a bubble-head!"

"I personally think I'm very smart," Mittsu said haughtily, discarding its usual airhead attitude and actually sounding serious and commanding, "You two are the bubble-heads if you don't understand what I am trying to say."

"_I_ understand perfectly, _sibling_," Ichi growled, still looking unhappy, "And I for one believe you are a fool, but a smart fool never the less."

***

Back with Aki and Yumeko, inside Shiro/Inuyasha's dreamscape

"So this is what Shiro's mind looks like," Aki mused, looking around at their surroundings. They were standing in the pitch black void of Inuyasha's mind. Although there was no light, the couple was able to see each other perfectly, as well as the tall majestic tree that was growing behind them. Yumeko reached up to touch the deep scar in the bark of the tree trunk, wondering what had caused it.

"Do you think," Yumeko murmured as she stroked the wound that was engraved in the wood of the tall tree, "that Shiro's mind is too dark for a child's?"

"Hai," Aki nodded, "I also feel uneasy. It's as if someone was watching us."

"That's impossible," Yumeko shook her head, frowning slightly, "Nobody should be here but us."

"And me," a voice from high branches of the tree growled. Aki and Yumeko looked up to gaze into the burning glare of someone's smoldering amber eyes…

Author-chan's notes: FINALLY!!! Aki and Yumeko are inside Inuyasha's mind! Yes! Things are moving along! Sorry it took so long to update, but I've been having problems with the chapter. 

Please R+R!


	24. Red, Violet, and Gold

Author-chan's notes: KONNICHI WA, MINNA-SAN! I'm back with the next chapter. I'm slightly irritated at the moment, because I went to the bookstore to find a manga, but it wasn't there! *sobs* I feel so deprived! *suddenly brightens* But I did go to the coffee shop at the bookstore and got a mocha and a rice crispy treat! Now A-chan is on a caffeine/sugar high and is feeling no pain! Still disappointed about the manga, but I'll come back and look for it next week. Oh, and Pocky is *good*!!! ^_^

Anyway, I just want to congratulate **Kristen Sharpe**. You are quite perceptive. Your suspicions on Mittsu are justified –it is not just being a "spaz". Mittsu is a bit smarter than it lets on. (To be honest, I was wondering if anyone was going to catch Mittsu's comment and realize what it was implying.) But before I say more and spoil the story, on with the fic!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Twenty-four: Red, Violet, and Gold)

Back with Aki and Yumeko

The magician and the dream demon could do nothing but stare in utter shock at the pair of amber eyes that looked down on them from the branches of the leafy tree. Someone –no, some_thing_ –had invaded Shiro's mind and they had not been aware of it.

"Who are you?" Aki finally growled out, standing protectively in front of Yumeko. 

"Why are you here?" the owner of the eyes growled back fiercely. The figure jumped down gracefully from his perch among the tree limbs to face the couple squarely. The two intruders gaped at the silver-haired demon that stood before them. They had not been expecting anyone else. Suddenly, Yumeko noticed something.

"Aki," Yumeko whispered to the magician, "I don't think it's wise to fight this demon if we can avoid it. He's strong, I can tell. Besides we don't need –"

"But he's an intruder in Shiro's mind!" Aki hissed, "That can't be a good sign."

"But –" Yumeko started to protest.

"Oi!" the demon growled, interrupting the dream demon, "I can hear you, you know!" As if to emphasize his point, one of his fluffy dog-ears on his head twitched slightly. Yumeko had to suppress a giggle. The ears were so kawaii! Yumeko smiled at the other demon, holding up her hands in a peacemaking gesture.

"We're not here to harm you," Yumeko began, pointedly ignoring Aki's noises of disagreement, "We just want some answers."

"And what if I don't want to give them to you?" the hanyou asked stubbornly.

"Then we'll be forced to act accordingly," Aki answered calmly, his eyes starting to become more golden. The teenaged hanyou before them smirked, showing off the elongated canines that he bore, and reached for the battered sword at his waist.

"I'd like to see you try."

***

Back with the Shadowy Figures (Ichi, Futatsu, and Mittsu)

"Am I missing something here?" Futatsu cried out. Just moments ago Ichi had called Mittsu smart! Well, actually Ichi had called Mittsu a "smart fool", but still! Ichi was implying that the dumb bubble-head Mittsu had a brain!

"Don't act all ignorant," Ichi sighed, "It's not becoming of you."

"Don't you realize that in a matter of moments, one of the most frightening demons in all of history is about to be released and is about to tear up one of my favorite pretty little island countries?!" Futatsu snarled at its siblings.

"Hai!" Mittsu squeaked cheerfully.

"Aren't we going to do anything about it?!" Futatsu screamed.

"Oh hush," Mittsu laughed, "We don't have to do anything! Everything is moving right along as it should. Just let things flow naturally and everything will be alright."

"And I'm supposed to listen to a bubble-head like you?" Futatsu snorted.

"Yes," Ichi sighed, "I'm with Mittsu on this one. Things might straiten themselves out properly without our intervention. In fact, if we hadn't messed with things in the first place, none of this would have happened."

"I still don't understand," Futatsu grumbled. 

"How about this? I'll give you a hint," Ichi sighed.

"What?" Futatsu asked, looking almost eager.

"Look at the –"Ichi began slowly, almost enjoying torturing its sibling.

"What?!" Futatsu wailed, "Look at what?!"

"Never mind," Ichi shrugged, turning away.

"What do I have to look at?!" Futatsu cried, looking desperate, "Come on Ichi, I've got to know what you and that bubble-head are planing!"

"So, Mittsu, do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Ichi asked its other sibling, completely ignoring Futatsu.

"I don't know, I have to check my calendar," Mittsu answered, also ignoring Futatsu.

"What are you two talking about?!" Futatsu demanded, getting red in the face with anger. Mittsu and Ichi sighed.

"The poor baka doesn't get it yet," Ichi sighed, "And we just gave out a hint too."

"Maybe Futatsu ought to check its calendar to find out when its next doctor's appointment is," Mittsu said, looking thoughtful, "My poor sibling. You're raving like a madman."

"Damn it, bubble-head!" Futatsu snarled, "I don't want to check my calendar!"

"Then you're doomed," Mittsu said with its trademark airhead giggle. 

***

Back with Kagome and co.

Kagome woke suddenly with a gasp. All around her, the others were sleeping peacefully, their dreams unmarred by the nightmares that haunted her. The girl from the future took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself. That dream…It seemed to real for her tastes. It caused her to be more anxious and determined to reach Inuyasha's destination more quickly. Closing her eyes, Kagome tried to remember her dream. She had no luck. The only thing she remembered were three sets of eyes looking at her, each of a different color, red, violet, and gold, before the red color swallowed her vision…

***

Back inside Shiro/Inuyasha's dreamscape

Hanyou Inuyasha allowed his hand to stray towards the battered hilt of his sword, his clawed hand hovering over the sword almost possessively. He wasn't going to hurt Aki and Yumeko, just scare them off a bit. He disliked people barging into his mind and figuring out his secrets, even if they were allies. 

Meanwhile, Aki had gathered handfuls of scarlet flames, preparing himself to hurl them at his opponent. Behind him, Yumeko was saying something hurriedly, but neither he nor the hanyou before him paid her any mind. Aki felt a small smirk tug at his lips in anticipation for the battle. Then, with a maddening battle cry, Aki hurled his flames at the hanyou.

Hanyou Inuyasha saw the flames coming, causing his eyes to widen. Within moment the hanyou was covered in flames. Aki gave off a cry of triumph when he saw his attack had hit its mark. His joy was short lived when the flames disappeared leaving behind an unharmed Inuyasha.

__

'That's not possible!' Aki thought frantically, _'He doesn't have a scratch on him! My flames should have reduced him to ashes!'_

"Aki," Yumeko hissed into the magician's ear, "That's what I was trying to warn you about. In the dreamscape you can hurt anyone else physically. You have to break their spirit, not their body!"

"Nani?!" Aki cried out. 

"That's why I was trying to tell you it wasn't necessary to attack him!" Yumeko growled.

"Oi!" the silver-haired demon barked out, "If you're done with the chit-chat, we have a fight to finish!"

"Aa," Aki agreed, smirking a bit. If he couldn't harm the hanyou before him that meant the half-demon couldn't hurt him either. With this in mind, Aki tossed a fistful of flames at Inuyasha just to humor the silver-haired being.

Withdrawing the Tetsusaiga from its sheath, Inuyasha quickly transformed the blade and used it as a shield from Aki's attack. Aki made a sound of disbelief at the sight of such a large weapon, but it was cut short as Hanyou Inuyasha used the Tetsusaiga to slash at the air between them. 

"Kaze no Kizu!" Hanyou Inuyasha yelled, being careful to hold back a bit on his attack so not to kill Aki. The magician remained calm, knowing perfectly well that the attack wouldn't hurt him. However, he was due for a surprise. 

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Aki cried out in pain as the demonic attack hit him strait in the chest. Yumeko screamed his name in horror as bright crimson blood sprayed out to stain her kimono. Aki fell to the ground, ragged red slashes adorning his chest. 

__

'Shimatta!' Inuyasha cursed silently, _'I didn't mean to hit him _that_ hard!'_

"K-Kuso," Aki hissed, getting back up and clutching his wound, "That hurt!" 

"You're alive!" Yumeko cried in relief. Aki glanced up at his opponent through his bangs. He was surprised to discover that Inuyasha was sporting a look of relief on his face as well. Suddenly, something clicked in Aki's mind.

"Yumeko," Aki began, "You said that some times people have mental barriers that can kill or maim an intruder in their mind, correct?"

"Hai," the dream demon nodded, coming over to help the magician steady himself.

"You also said that you can't hurt anyone physically in the dreamscape, but here I am bleeding," Aki continued, still staring at his silver-haired opponent. Hanyou Inuyasha smirked slightly and placed the Tetsusaiga over his shoulder.

"So, you've figured it all out, Aki?" Inuyasha asked, a slight hint of mocking in his voice, "It's about time, baka!"

"Aki!" Yumeko hissed, her eyes wide, "He knows your name!"

"And yours as well," Aki told her calmly, "Isn't that right, _Shiro-chan_?"

***

Back with Shiro and Youkai Inuyasha

Shiro was ignoring his demon self, making sure to be looking anywhere else except for the demon across from him. Youkai Inuyasha snickered at the obvious attempt his human side was trying. Did the child honestly believe that the youkai side of him would disappear with will power alone? Youkai Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his naïve human side, and instead focused his energies in sensing what was going on with the hanyou side of their personality. And then, the beginnings of a plan arose…

"Do you smell that, Ningen?" Youkai Inuyasha asked, looking at his other self. 

"Baka, I'm human, remember?" Shiro muttered under his breath in a tone that couldn't be heard by normal humans. Unfortunately for him, Youkai Inuyasha wasn't human, let alone normal.

"But you don't have to be limited by human instincts," Youkai Inuyasha retorted, "You can borrow mine."

"Why should I trust you?" Shiro asked skeptically. Inwardly, the youkai congratulated himself. Despite Shiro's tone, the youkai could tell that the child was truly curious. He had taken the bait.

"This stupid sword in my chest won't allow me to harm anything, and that includes you, Ningen," Youkai Inuyasha sneered, "The only way I can kill is if I'm let free into the real world."

"Sucks for you," Shiro snickered.

"Feh," Youkai Inuyasha snorted, "Give me your hand."

"Why?"

"It's easier to make a connection that way," Youkai Inuyasha answered impatiently, "You want to use my senses, ne?"

"I never said that!" Shiro retorted.

"But you still want to."

"Aa," Shiro admitted. Then he reached his hand towards his youkai self, not caring at the moment about the consequences of his actions. Inwardly, the youkai howled in triumph. 

***

Back with Hanyou Inuyasha, Yumeko, and Aki

"Heh," Hanyou Inuyasha smirked at the name Aki addressed him as, "Shiro is my human half's name."

"Y-you're one of Shiro's mental projections of himself!" Yumeko blurted out, "That's why you were able to hurt Aki, because you're one of Shiro-chan's mind barriers!"

"'Bout time you figured it out, dreamer," Inuyasha grumbled, sheathing Tetsusaiga.

"You're a youkai," Yumeko stated.

"Hanyou," Inuyasha growled, "I wouldn't suggest meeting my youkai self."

"Y-you're Inuyasha, aren't you?" Yumeko stuttered, "I mean, it all fits. Why Sesshoumaru was after you, why you have Tetsusaiga. It even explains why you look the way you do, the dog-ears and all. If I remember correctly, I heard some rumors about some miko getting involved with some dog hanyou, which would explain Kikyo. Oh, kami-sama, you're the one who killed Kumo's brother!"

"Nani?!" Aki yelped, "Is that true?"

"The bastard tried to kill me first," Inuyasha growled, his golden eyes flashing, "He slaughtered humans without hesitation just to lure us to him so that he would get the Shikon no Tama! He posed as a monk and then back stabbed everyone around him. He deserved to die!" 

"Does Kumo know that?" Aki asked.

"How do I know?" Hanyou Inuyasha shrugged.

"You know, he wants to kill you," Aki murmured.

"Yeah, I know," Inuyasha muttered, his ears dropping a bit.

"Would you kill Kumo?" Aki asked.

"That's none of your business, Aki!" Inuyasha snarled.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Aki replied with a smile, "You may look like a demon, but you're really a nice person, aren't you?"

"You don't know anything about me," Inuyasha hissed.

"I know Shiro," Aki answered nonchalantly, "And you and he are the same."

"Everyone has their dark side," Yumeko said quietly, "And by being the hanyou offspring of a Demon Lord there is no doubt his dark side is extremely disturbing."

"Kuso!" Inuyasha all of a sudden swore, remembering something with Yumeko's statement "I've been talking with you for too long. I have to get back to the others before Shiro does something stupid!"

"'Others'?" Aki and Yumeko blinked.

"Never mind, just get out of here, before I change my mind and get rid of you myself," Inuyasha growled, turning away and running off. 

"Matte!" Aki cried out, as he and Yumeko followed the white-haired hanyou.

Author-chan's notes: FINISHED!!! It took me so long to write this chapter! I've been working on my homework and my other fics, so I've had no time to work on this thing properly! Not to mention I've had writer's block. Yare, yare, at least things are winding down. The end is in sight! But of course there has to be a few more conflicts before the true ending…

What to expect next chapter: Youkai Inuyasha in all his gory. I mean, glory. ^_^;

R+R!!!


	25. Demonic

Author-chan's notes: And this is chapter 25! Wow. That's a quarter of a hundred chapters, or five chapters shy of thirty! This fic is getting long…

Well, on with the fic!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Twenty-five: Demonic)

*

Back with Kagome and co.

"We have to go now!" Kagome cried out. All around her, the various demons and humans awoke looking groggy and disoriented. Kagome's cries had woken them all.

"Go where, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, blinking tiredly.

"Don't tell me you want to go to the village now," Miho moaned, "It's still dark out!"

"That's precisely where I want to go," Kagome said confidently as she packed her back with a speed that would have made Kouga blink at, "I have a feeling that something bad happened."

"To Shiro-chan?" Kumo asked, looking alert at the prospect of danger towards his friend. Kagome nodded.

"We've got to help him," Kagome said, "And we have to go now!"

"B-But Kumo-san's night blindness!" Miroku reminded them.

"I can work around it," Kumo said stiffly, "As long as Miho guides me, I'll be fine."

"Then, let's go!" Kagome cried.

***

Inside Inuyasha's dreamscape

"He's fast!" Aki gasped as he and Yumeko tried to keep up with the hanyou who had run off just moments before.

"Well, he is part inu youkai," Yumeko pointed out, "It's only natural he would be fast. He doesn't want us to follow him anyway. Maybe we should go. After all, we already have our answers. We know why Shiro-chan has been getting attacked."

"_I _still have questions," Aki growled, "Why did we meet Shiro, Inuyasha's human half, instead of Inuyasha himself? It doesn't make any sense! And Shiro didn't remember anything when we found him. How did he lose his memories?"

"You're too curious, Aki," Yumeko grumbled.

"Runs in the family," Aki shrugged. Suddenly, they saw Inuyasha stop running in front of them and quickly took their chance to run up next to the hanyou.

"Didn't you hear us?" Yumeko asked as she neared the silver-haired young man, "We said to wait for us!"

"You shouldn't be here," Inuyasha hissed at her and Aki.

"That's very rude, Hanyou. I'm fine with their presence," a bone-chilling voice spoke out from the darkness.

"Shut up, teme!" Inuyasha growled at the unseen voice, "This has nothing to do with you!"

"Keh," the shadowed figure snorted. Suddenly, the darkness let up a bit to reveal Youkai Inuyasha. Aki and Yumeko gaped at the red-eyed demon whose clothes dripped with fresh blood. But it wasn't the blood that caught the pair's attention. It was the small form sitting in the demon's lap that did.

"S-Shiro-chan!" Yumeko called out. The dark-haired child was sitting on his demon self's knee, breathing raggedly. The youkai had wrapped on arm around the child's waist to keep him in place. The hand of his other arm was covering Shiro's eyes and masking half of his face. But even so, they saw the ghostly pallor that Shiro's skin had taken on that was most definitely not a good sign. But neither was the sweat that drenched his skin, causing a few locks of hair to stick to his face, nor was the ragged crow-harsh breathing.

"Is _that_ your demon self?" Aki whispered quietly to Hanyou Inuyasha.

"Yeah," the half-breed answered, "Now do you see why I said you shouldn't meet him?"

"What did you do to Shiro-chan?" Yumeko asked the red-eyed youkai. Youkai Inuyasha smirked slightly.

"I'm letting him looking into my thoughts," the youkai replied.

"So?" Hanyou Inuyasha growled, "We're the same person, remember? It's not that big a deal."

"But not the same sides of the same person," Aki murmured, "The yin and yang philosophy. There is darkness and light, complete opposites, inside everyone. If you have too much of one thing it creates an imbalance within a soul. I'm assuming that Shiro is yang, the light, the youkai is yin, darkness, and you, Inuyasha, are the balance between them. But, if I am correct, since your youkai self is putting all of his dark thoughts into Shiro, then it might create too much yin in your soul causing there to be an imbalance."

"What the magician is trying to tell you, Hanyou," Youkai Inuyasha sneered, "is that I am driving the Ningen here insane."

"Nani?!" Hanyou Inuyasha yelped, "Why are you doing that for?"

"Because I'm tired of waiting for this trinket on our arm to split our soul apart," the youkai replied, "I'm simply speeding up the process." Smirking at his hanyou self, Youkai Inuyasha brought his lips to Shiro's pale cheek and gently licked the white salty skin.

Suddenly Shiro gave off a strangled cry that sounded like a cross between a moan and a scream. He twisted violently in his other self's arms, but was unable to break free. He gave off one last cry of agony before becoming limp again. Youkai Inuyasha smirk grew.

"Kuso…" Hanyou Inuyasha snarled, looking ready to jump on his red-eyed alter ego and rip out his throat, "Stop it now!"

"But it's so much fun," Youkai Inuyasha said in an innocent tone, finding pleasure in the hanyou's helplessness. Both he and his hanyou self knew there was no way Shiro could be taken from the youkai's arms by force. To try to do so would only hurt Shiro more.

"You are some sort of sick masochist," Aki growled, glaring at the demon.

"Actually, I'm more of a sadist," the youkai retorted as he nuzzled Shiro's hair. His human side moaned as his breathing becoming quicker and more strained.

"I-Iie…" Shiro choked out as the dark mind of his demon self invaded his own.

"Teme," Hanyou Inuyasha growled.

"The same goes to you, Hanyou," Youkai Inuyasha said.

"STOP!!!" Yumeko cried out, shutting her eyes tight and grasping her head in her hands, "Stop what you're doing to Shiro! We'll do whatever you want!"

"Is that so, dreamer?" Youkai Inuyasha asked. He didn't even bother hiding the excitement in his voice.

"Baka!" Hanyou Inuyasha snarled at the dream demon, "Don't promise him anything!"

"I want to help Shiro," Yumeko said, "He doesn't deserve this kind of pain. So, inu youkai, what do you want in exchange for Shiro?"

"Freedom," the youkai replied, an insane light flitting through his eyes.

"Hell no!" Hanyou Inuyasha said instantly, "There is no way that is going to happen! Do you think I've forgotten the other times you were free? Do you have any idea how many corpses there were that one time?!"

"They were only humans," Youkai Inuyasha shrugged, "And admit it, Hanyou, you enjoyed it. The only time you have truly been happy was when we were me and we were slaughtering others."

"If we give you your freedom," Hanyou Inuyasha began, a growl lightening in his throat, "We damn Shiro anyway."

"Not if we are separated," the youkai countered, "If we were separated into two bodies then the Ningen is safe and I am free."

"You'll kill him as soon as you're out."

"As part of the deal, I won't kill him," Youkai Inuyasha answered, "To make it even better, I won't even kill the Ningen's new friends."

"Kuso," Hanyou Inuyasha hissed under his breath, "You know what you are asking of me, right?" Youkai Inuyasha simply smirked in return.

"Well, I don't think we can fulfill your request anyway," Aki said, "We have no way of splitting you and Shiro apart."

"Yes you do," Youkai Inuyasha replied, "Youki. Give me enough of it and I can get stronger and split us apart myself."

"We don't have a source of extra youki!" Hanyou Inuyasha growled.

"Me," Yumeko said quietly, "You have me. I can redirect some of my youki to your demon self."

"You don't have to do this, Yumeko," Aki told her quietly.

"Consider it atonement for wanting to kill Shiro before," Yumeko replied, "I want to do this."

"Are you done talking?" Youkai Inuyasha growled impatiently, "If you don't hurry up, the Ningen might not make it." As if to emphasize his point, Shiro gave off a soul shattering cry. Youkai Inuyasha smirked and moved his hand from Shiro's eyes to cup his pale cheek. Shiro's violet eyes were wide, blank, and unseeing. He was crying tears of blood.

"Shimatta!" Aki and Hanyou Inuyasha swore at the same time.

"What's it going to be?" Youkai Inuyasha asked as he ducked his head down to lick off Shiro's bloody tears from his cheeks. The caress of his lips across Shiro's skin was as soft as butterfly kisses, but the dark ideas that accompanied the light touch were like a thousand swords ripping apart a soul. This time, Shiro was in too much pain to scream.

"I'll give you my youki, just stop now!" Yumeko yelled.

"Hanyou?" Youkai Inuyasha addressed his alter ego.

"You're not allowed to harm Shiro or the others," Hanyou Inuyasha murmured.

"So you agree."

"…Aa."

"Good," Youkai Inuyasha smirked, "Give me your hand, Yumeko."

"Let go of Shiro first," Aki demanded.

"Keh," Youkai Inuyasha snorted, "You can have the Ningen." With that, he pushed Shiro towards his hanyou self. With a quick burst of speed, Hanyou Inuyasha caught the child and cradled him. Shiro groaned and refocused his half-dead gaze.

"I-Inuyasha?" Shiro murmured tiredly.

"Baka," Hanyou Inuyasha whispered back gently, "You did something stupid again."

"Gomen," Shiro apologized, his voice weak.

"Don't worry about it, kid," his hanyou self sighed, "Everything is going to be alright."

"Liar," Shiro hissed, "And I'm not a kid."

"Aa," Hanyou Inuyasha muttered. The two sides of Inuyasha looked back where their other self was currently grabbing Yumeko's hand and drawing out her youki. And they knew, at that moment, all hell was going to break loose.

***

Back with Kagome and the others

"Did you feel that?" Miroku inquired, making the others stop in their tracks.

"You mean that sudden chill?" Sango asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Hai," the monk nodded.

"I felt it too," Kagome said, looking about nervously. Kumo, Miho, and Shippo also confirmed their unease.

"Something bad is happening!" Shippo wailed.

"It's almost like all hell is going to break loose," Kumo murmured, holding tight onto Miho's hand. The woman squeezed back. This was bad…

***

Back with the Shadowy Figures

"Shimatta!!!" Ichi, Futatsu, and Mittsu chorused in unison. Oh yeah, all hell was breaking lose.

***

Back inside Aki's hut with Masato and Kimiko

"They did what?!" Masato screamed.

"According to their note," Kimiko began calmly, "Yumeko-san and Onii-san went inside Shiro's mind."

"At this hour?!" Masato yelped. It was still dark outside and most sane people were asleep. But of course, in the middle of the night, Masato had to wake up to relieve himself and discovered a certain magician and dream demon gone. Then he found the note. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to read. So he had to wake up Kimiko, who was not a morning person, to read it for him. Kimiko, being the nice girl that she was, obliged him, but not before smacking him repeatedly until the young man's face was turned black and blue from bruises. Needless to say, Masato made a mental note never to wake the young girl from her sleep ever again. 

"That's what the note says!" Kimiko snapped. Masato unconsciously took a step back. Was it his imagination or did Kimiko's eyes flash golden for a brief second?

"So we just have to wait for them to get out of the brat's mind, right?" Masato checked.

"Yes."

"Kimiko?"

"What?!" came the half-snarled reply.

"Is the brat's body supposed to do that when people are in his head?" Masato asked, drawing Aki's sister's attention to the sleeping child next to them. Kimiko's eyes widened. Shiro's body was glowing with a dark energy.

"T-That doesn't look very good," Kimiko gulped, backing up against the wall.

"Shimatta!" Masato cursed. Then the whole room was flooded with a light darker than midnight. When the black light receded, Kimiko and Masato were surprised to find that there were three bodies surrounding Shiro's prone form, instead of the expected two bodies of Yumeko and Aki. Squinting in the darkness, they were able to make out the third figure's long silver hair. Suddenly the mysterious entity lifted his head and turned his face towards the two humans. Masato took a step back and Kimiko gave off a startled gasp. Hell had broken lose in the form of a red-eyed inu youkai. 

*

Author-chan's notes: Oh yeah, I think I'm going to leave it off there. Well, Youkai Inuyasha is free now…Be afraid, be very afraid…

Okay, quick note to **Rekouri Sentusu**. I know my Youkai Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I'm taking a few liberties with him. It's kind of hard for him to react with everyone if he doesn't have a better thought process. However, he is still obsessed with blood and has a creepy laugh and smile just like he does in the anime/manga. *sigh* Writing Youkai Inuyasha is hard! Even Kikyo is easier than writing him!

Also, to **Ms. Zeal**, congratulations on figuring out the clue that Ichi and Mittsu were giving out. And just so you know, the event that you mentioned will not be happening at this exact moment but it will be happening _soon_.

Next chapter: Death scene…

R+R!!!


	26. Split

Author-chan's notes: Hi everyone! _glances at reviews_ Wow! Look at all those reviews. I have to say thanks for all the support everyone! _sniffles_ You're all so kind!!!

Oh, one reviewer asked if I could torture the Director some more like I did in earlier chapters. Well, I was thinking of adding an omake to the end when I finish this fic. If people really want this omake (which is rich with Director torture) please review and tell me!

Well, on with the fic!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Twenty-six: Split)

Back in Aki's hut with Youkai Inuyasha, Shiro, Aki, Yumeko, Masato, and Kimiko

"What in the seven hells is that?!" Masato yelped as he stared at Youkai Inuyasha.

"Don't ask, Masato," Yumeko hissed.

"W-what's going on?" Shiro asked. Yumeko and Aki looked at the boy. He didn't remember what happened?

"Heh. Ningen," Youkai Inuyasha hissed, looking down at his human half, "Missing the Hanyou, are you?"

"Nani?" Shiro blinked, confused. Youkai Inuyasha laughed. Aki felt his breath catch in his throat. Youkai Inuyasha had the coldest, cruelest laugh he had ever heard.

"Of course you won't remember," Youkai Inuyasha murmured, traces of mad laughter still in his voice, "But just so you know, the Hanyou is dead."

"Because you two are split!" Yumeko gasped, instantly understanding, "Inuyasha was the balance between you two, but now you are separated, that balance that Inuyasha represented doesn't exist, and neither does he!"

"Aa," Youkai Inuyasha smirked, flexing his claws, "And now that he's out of the way, I can do what I want!"

###

Back with Kagome and the others

As soon as the group had felt those odd vibes from earlier they rushed towards the village, running full speed. Miho and Kumo were in the lead with Kagome right on their heels. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were just a few feet behind her.

"The village is just up ahead!" Miho shouted as she pushed aside some bushes. Before them the still sleeping village was laid out, its inhabitants unaware of the danger that was soon to come.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku called out, "That youki we felt earlier, it's gotten stronger!"

"I know!" Kagome cried out.

"Is it just me, or does this youki feel familiar?" Shippo asked nervously.

"Now that you mention it, it does!" Miroku realized, his eyes turning wide.

"Whose is it?" Sango asked, "Naraku?"

"No," Miroku shook his head, sweat running down his brow, "It's Inuyasha's."

"Nani?!" Sango and Shippo gasped.

"NO!" Kagome yelled, also hearing Miroku, "Don't tell me that he –"

"Transformed?" Miroku finished for her, "I'm afraid he did."

"INUYASHA!!!" Kagome cried, picking up her pace and rushing head on into the village, "INUYASHA!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kumo's eyes widened as he heard the miko's yell.

"What did she say?!" Kumo snarled as Kagome sped past him and Miho, "Why is she calling out to my brother's killer?"

"I can explain, Kumo…" Miho whispered, "But for now, Shiro might need our help!"

"He might need it more than you realize," Miroku murmured as he ran next to the couple, "If he really has lost control of his youkai blood…"

"Don't finish that thought, Miroku!" Shippo yelped, "I don't want to think about it!"

###

Back in Aki's hut

"This isn't making any sense…" Masato murmured, looking back and forth between Youkai Inuyasha and Shiro. Why were they dressed the same? Something strange was going on. Suddenly, Masato felt Youkai Inuyasha's cold eyes boring into him.

"Shut up and die, Ningen," Youkai Inuyasha smirked, sticking his clawed hand strait through Masato's chest. Aki gave off an unintelligible shout. No one had even seen the red-eyed youkai move. The speed he used was beyond comprehension.

"Gahk!" Masato gasped, coughing up crimson blood. Kimiko screamed as Masato's warm blood sprayed all over her.

"Masato!" Yumeko yelled. Youkai Inuyasha laughed and removed his hand from Masato's body. Masato gave off a fresh spray of blood before falling onto the ground in a puddle of the scarlet liquid. Youkai Inuyasha licked his claws, a growl of pleasure emitting from his throat as an expression of pure ecstasy danced upon his features.

"Shi-Shimatta…" Masato murmured, the life in his eyes starting to fade.

Kimiko's knees gave out beneath her, tear welling up in her eyes. She was scared, more scared than she ever had been in her entire life. Masato…Masato wasn't moving.

Everyone's eyes seemed to be drawn towards that spot, that scene. Masato lying motionless in his own lifeblood and a hysterical Kimiko collapsed in a heap next to him.

"Y-you killed him!" Shiro gasped, tearing his eyes away from the sight to look at his youkai self in horror.

"We had a deal!" Aki snarled at the red-eyed demon, "You weren't supposed to harm any of us!"

"We never agreed how long that promise would last," Youkai Inuyasha smirked, "Besides, it wasn't like Masato and I were close. We weren't friends."

"Teme," Shiro hissed, "You're a monster!"

"And what are you?" Youkai Inuyasha sneered back, "I am you!"

"T-that's impossible," Shiro whispered. Then Shiro whipped his head over to look at Aki, his eyes wide.

"Gomen, Shiro-chan," Aki murmured, turning away from Shiro's violet gaze, "Gomen." Shiro just stared at the magician in horror, then looked at his madly smirking youkai self. Shiro suppressed a shiver.

Was it just him, or could he hear the youkai's thoughts?

_'Human blood tastes so sweet…'_

###

Back with Miho, Kumo, Miroku, Shippo, and Sango

"Can someone please explain what is going on here?!" Kumo demanded, "First, that miko starts screaming out the name of my brother's killer, then suddenly Shiro is in trouble, then Shiro has youkai blood…"

"We don't have time for this!" Miroku yelled.

"Like hell we don't!" Kumo snarled, his fangs beginning to show. Miroku took a hasty step back.

"Y-youkai!" Shippo wailed from his perch on Miroku's shoulder.

"Uh, Shippo," Sango whispered quietly, "You're a youkai as well."

****

"I desire answers, monk, and I shall get them! Whether it is from thou or thy lifeless corpses, the choice is thine," Kumo growled, his voice converting to its youkai pitch and formality.

"His aura!" Miroku suddenly gasped, "He's a spider demon!"

"Kumo! Please calm down!" Miho cried out, standing between the enraged demon and their new friends, "I can explain. The rest of you, get down there and help Kagome-san and Shiro-chan."

"Hai!" Miroku said, Sango and Shippo nodding in agreement. The trio raced down towards the village as Miho steeled herself to tell her beloved the answers to his questions.

###

Back with Kagome

Kagome barreled her way down to the hut where the thick youki was centered. The girl was worried. If Inuyasha's demon side was loose…

But what happened to make him transform? As far as Kagome knew, Inuyasha's demon blood was being sealed up by a magical bracelet, and Tetsusaiga kept Inuyasha's demon blood in check most of the time, so there was no way Inuyasha could have transformed. Was there?

Kagome reached the hut she had been charging at, and rushed inside, not caring that she was trespassing. All that mattered to her was the well being of her hanyou protector.

She was greeted by the sight of crimson eyes framed with silver hair…

…and a lifeless body slumped against the wall.

###

The occupants of the hut looked up in surprise as a new presence made itself known. The young woman that had entered was a bizarre sight to behold. She wore an outfit that would cause even the most daring of courtesans to blush in modesty. In her hand was a strung bow, and a quiver of arrows lay on her back.

The wide eyes of the girl were riveted to the silver-haired demon from Shiro's mind. Shock was clearly written on her features as she continued to stare.

"I-Inuyasha," the girl whispered in a halting voice.

"K-Kagome!" Shiro shouted out, moving forward a bit to look at the girl. Shiro didn't understand why, but he knew this young beauty and…and he _cared_ for her.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelped, looking from the little boy to the tall smirking demon and back again. Kagome was quickly falling into confusion induced shock. Youkai Inuyasha growled at the girl, snapping her back to her senses.

Then Kagome did the one thing her partially numbed mind would allow her to do.

She pulled out an arrow and strung it to her bow…

#

Author-chan's notes: Short chapter and a cliffhanger! Gomen, but I've been kind of busy lately with work and my other fics. It's been terrible! And I'm blanking on this fic too! I promise I won't abandon this fic, especially since it's near the end, so please don't give up on this story!

Please RR!!!

P.S. I'm also working on another Inuyasha fic called "Empty Winds". Please have a look at it! It's set after Naraku's death and follows the lives of his "children", Kagura and Kanna. There's a lot of wiggle room in this story, so nearly anything could happen…


	27. To Shoot the One You Love

Author-chan's notes: I LIVE! I know. I bet everyone thought I died or something, or gave up this fic. But fear not! I breathe new life into it, or something like that…

Many apologies for making everyone wait so long…I'm sorry I've been neglecting this story. Between working on my other fics, homework, writer's block, the human thing called laziness, and my computer breaking down, things have been rough.

Well, on with the fic!

A Clean Slate

(Chapter Twenty-seven: To Shoot the One You Love)

Back in Aki's hut

Kagome had her bow stretched taut, the arrow aimed at Inuyasha's youkai form. The girl from the future felt like her mind was completely thrown into chaos. There was a full demon Inuyasha and a dead body that all but screamed that it had been killed by the youkai. There was a full human Inuyasha there as well, still in child form. The sight before her all but screamed impossibility… after all there can't be _two _Inuyashas.

Unless of course this was one of Naraku's tricks. That meant that one of the two Inuyashas was a fake. Did Naraku make a new spawn that could shape shift?

"Stupid girl," Youkai Inuyasha growled, causing Kagome to jump slightly. Despite the fact the movement was slight, Kagome still accidentally let go of the arrow, causing it to speed towards the red eyed demon.

To the surprise of everyone, Youkai Inuyasha grabbed the arrow from midair. A sharp hiss sounded through the room as the purifying abilities of the sacred arrow began to burn the flesh of the youkai, causing a few wisps of smoke to curl around his hand.

"Shimatta!" Youkai Inuyasha swore, tossing the arrow on the floor. Suddenly, he became a blur as he rushed towards the door, knocking Kagome down in the process.

The youkai ran off into the night, and no one dared or could track it.

**qpqpqpqp**

Back with Kumo and Miho

"Are you telling me that _Shiro_ is the murderer of my brother?" Kumo yelped. Miho nodded. She had explained to the spider demon everything about Shiro, how he was Inuyasha, how he was the hanyou that had killed Kumo's elder brother.

"Hai," Miho nodded, "He's Inuyasha, placed under a spell."

"Chikuso!" Kumo cursed, "Chikuso! Chikuso, CHIKUSO!"

Miho yelped as the earth behind the spider demon exploded with the force of Kumo's youki.

"Damn it," Kumo hissed, his posture slumping a bit as a trace of sorrow danced within his crimson eyes.

"Kumo," Miho whispered, reaching out to touch him. He simply shrugged away from her touch, laughing without any humor."

**_"I suppose,"_** Kumo murmured in his spider youkai accent, **_"that I shall have to kill him."_**

"Why is that?" Miho asked, trying not to waver at the change in her lover's tone, "There has to be an explanation why Inu –no –why Shiro killed your brother. Shiro-chan, regardless of whether or not he is human, youkai, or something in between, would not have such a disregard for life as to kill without a reason."

**_"Does thou think such things matter?"_** Kumo snarled, glaring at her with bloody eyes, **_"It is a matter of honor, woman."_**

"Is the honor of the dead more important than that of the living?" Miho shrieked, "There will be no honor for you or your brother if you just go off and kill Shiro-chan!"

**_"Among my kind…"_**

"Then stop being your kind," Miho interrupted, "You have no ties to them. You have ties to me. To us, the family you found in the village."

There was a long pregnant pause. Then suddenly Kumo chuckled softly.

"Ah, Miho-koishii," he murmured, his voice switching back to his gentler human cadence, "You make it sound so simple…"

"It is."

"Nothing is simple anymore," the spider demon sighed.

**qpqpqpqp**

Back in the hut

"W-What was that thing?" Kimiko gasped, looking towards the way Inuyasha's youkai half had fled. Aki ran over to where his sister had collapse, wrapping his arms protectively around her.

"Inu youkai," Yumiko answered tightly, looking at Masato's corpse, "Make that a bloodthirsty, insanely powerful, out of control inu youkai."

"But how did it get here?" Kimiko yelped, "It-he k-killed Masato!"

"I can answer that," Aki said stiffly, then he turned his eyes to Kagome, "But first things first. Who are you?"

"She's Kagome," Shiro answered with confidence.

"Eh?" Yumiko blinked, "Shiro-chan, are you gaining back your memories."

"I-I don't know," Shiro blinked, "But I know her, I think."

"And I know you, I think," Kagome murmured, coming closer to the violet-eyed human boy who had once been an amber-eyed hanyou and wrapping her arms around him.

"Then who am I, Kagome?" Shiro asked, blinking up at her.

"You are –"

"Kagome-chan!" a voice from outside called.

"Sango-chan! Miroku-sama!" Kagome greeted as her two friends rushed into the hut.

"Kami-sama!" Sango whispered, her eyes widening when they landed on Masato's body, "What happened?"

"Youkai Inuyasha," Kagome replied.

"But wasn't Inuyasha stuck in the form of a human child, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked.

"He still is," Kagome answered, gesturing to the little boy in her arms.

"NANI?" several voices chimed as one, including two from outside.

"Kumo! Miho!" Yumiko greeted the newcomers, "You're back!"

"Yeah," Kumo muttered as he and Miho entered the rapidly crowding hut, "But I've got questions especially for you, Shiro-chan. Or should I say Inuyasha?"

"Nani?" Shiro blinked, "W-what the hell is going on?"

"Masato!" Miho cried, seeing the body on the floor, "Kami-sama! He's dead!"

"Aa," Aki nodded sadly, "We need to bury him. Let's go outside; we'll give Masato his last rites and exchange stories."

**qpqpqpqp**

Meanwhile with Youkai Inuyasha

The red-eyed demon lay back against the tree he had perched himself in, grinning madly to himself.

Free. Free! Free! Free!

He was out of that confining hanyou/human body, finally! Free to do what he wished, free to kill what he wanted…oh the rapture of it all!

And speaking of rapture…

"Time to look through Ningen's eyes," the youkai snickered, reaching out with his mind to view his other half's thoughts.

"Ah…Kagome," the youkai grinned to himself. His other self was standing next to her, that miko bitch. _His_ miko bitch.

Youkai Inuyasha's smile grew wider.

Soon. Soon. Soon.

"Soon, you're mine, Kagome…"

**qpqpqpqp**

Back at Aki's hut

Slowly, everyone filed outside, Aki carrying Masato's body wrapped in a mat. The last ones to leave were Kagome and Shiro/Inuyasha.

"Kagome?" the child that had once been Inuyasha implored as soon as the two of them where alone.

"Hai?" Kagome answer looking down at the boy. The boy's face was turned away from her, but she could see (surprises of surprises!) that he was flushing madly.

"I-I'm not human, am I?" Shiro whispered, "This face, this body, it's all a sham, isn't it?" Kagome merely nodded.

"I'm the one that killed Kumo's brother," Shiro continued, "I'm the other half of that…that _thing_ that killed Masato…the thing that nearly killed everyone else…"

"W-what do you mean?" Kagome asked, bending down to look into the eyes of the unusually gloomy boy. She had almost forgotten…Inuyasha felt pain too sometimes.

"I can hear his thoughts, Kagome," Shiro gritted out, looking her straight in the eye, "Even though he's far away, I can feel him. I _am_ him! I can feel his…my…our need to kill! He'll kill everything in his path! And something else! Something worse! Keep away from him, me, us, or you'll…he'll…"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out as Shiro collapsed into her arms, unconscious.

**qpqpqpqp**

A few minutes later…

"So he can still hear his other half?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded. She had caught up with the others (who had just finished burying Masato) and had quickly told them what had happened.

"This could be bad," Aki murmured, "I bet the youkai can hear Shiro-chan's thoughts as well."

"So that means if we say anything in front of Shiro, that crazy inu can hear it too," Kumo muttered.

"I have a question," Miho began, "How dangerous is Inuyasha's youkai form?"

"That's kind of hard to say," Kagome admitted, "Inuyasha has only transformed a few times, and even then his youkai blood was never in control for this long. But I can say this; from what we've seen there aren't a lot of things that can stop him because he kills them all before they have a chance to do anything."

"Bloodthirsty?" Yumiko asked.

"Beyond reason," Sango nodded, "We've seen him after he killed a wholeband of bandits, and he still wasn't satisfied. Inuyasha's youkai half isn't really a true youkai. A true youkai would never be as out of control as him."

"Damn," Kumo muttered, "So we've got Inuyasha to worry about along with Yumiko's crazy brother."

"Yugata-onii-sama!" Yumiko gasped, "I nearly forgot about him!"

"He'll be coming to attack at dawn, won't he?" Aki murmured, "Or sometime later."

"So we've got two evil youkai to worry about!" Shippo yelped.

"Yeah," Miroku nodded, "But we outnumber them."

"Still," Kagome said thoughtfully, "That might not be enough…"

**qpqpqpqp**

Back with Yugata

Yugata grinned to himself. As soon as the sun rose, Yumiko and her new friends were as good as dead. Suddenly he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey! You there!" the male dream youkai shouted out, "What are you doing here?"

"Heheheheh," a cruel voice chuckled. Then, before Yugata could even blink, his heart was torn out of his chest.

"GAHHAK!" Yugata choked, spitting out crimson blood that matched his killer's eyes.

"Thanks for your Shikon shard," Youkai Inuyasha's voice growled as he ripped the piece of crystal out of Yugata's corpse, "Killing you was kinda fun."

**qpqpqpqp**

Back with Human Inuyasha/Shiro

In his sleep, though surrounded by friends, Shiro moaned, dreaming of bloody eyes and fallen bodies.

**qpqpqpqp**

Back with Kagome

Kagome didn't like what was happening, not one bit. Shiro was not acting like himself, at all…But then again, getting your soul split in two would cause at the very least personality shifts. And now that Shiro (she just couldn't think of him as Inuyasha, after all, he only carried half of Inuyasha's soul) was hearing his youkai self's thoughts…

_'I can't handle this,'_ Kagome thought as she looked down on Shiro's sleeping face, _'I'm just an ordinary girl!'_

"S-Shikon no Tama," Shiro murmured in his sleep.

For some reason, as soon as he said that, Kagome felt even more uneasy.

* * *

Author-chan's notes: Writing this chapter was such a chore! And it ended up shorter than I wanted it to be too! It had been such a long time since I had been in the Inuyasha universe (I've been spending most of my time in the Rurouni Kenshin universe). It's a good thing I still remember the plot of this story, or else I'd be in trouble. I need to get back into the swing of writing Inuyasha again…

If you think Shiro is acting very un-Inuyasha like, I agree. But then again the poor kid did have his soul ripped apart, so he's not going to act as much like Inuyasha as he did in earlier chapters.

And again, sorry for putting this on an over half year (9 month) hiatus. As I mentioned above I've been working more on my RK fics than anything. But the end is in sight for this story, and I am _determined_ not to abandon it, especially when I know the end is near! Damn, but I just noticed how old this story is…Started back in 2002, this fic is less than 5 months shy of its 3rd birthday! _Whistles_ Three years. That's a long time…


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